Top Bollywood action hero Sanjay Dutt was jailed for six years for illegally possessing firearms obtained through underworld gangsters connected with the 1993 terrorist bombings in Mumbai which killed 257 people. Dutt already served 18 months in jail following his arrest in 1993 and was expected to receive a more lenient sentence.

Judge Pramode Kode said that the famed star deserved no special treatment after deciding to accept an AK56 rifle and a 9mm pistol from the mobsters. More than 100 people have already been convicted over the 1993 Mumbai bombings. Indian police claims they were ordered by the notorious Indian gangster Dawood Ibrahim to avenge the razing of the Ayodhya mosque in 1992.

Dutt was denied leniency because he was considered not of sufficiently good character to deserve it. He is known to have mingled with top gangsters including the 1993 bombings' mastermind, Dawood. Ibrahim Dawood is still to be aprehended by the Indian authorities, and is probably hiding in Pakistan.

"It is a body blow to the [Bollywood] film industry," said Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt.

Dutt’s lawyers plan to appeal the sentence to India’s supreme court. A two time Filmfare Awards winner, he is the son of famed Bollywood stars Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt.