<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50639749.cms" />Few weeks are left for actor <keyword id="7645" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Dutt">Sanjay Dutt</keyword>’s release from Pune’s Yerwada jail, where he is serving sentence after he was convicted in 1993 Mumbai blasts case, and legal experts are expecting some sort of a rebound in legal discourse surrounding such cases. 
 
Dutt, who was out on prolonged furloughs during the time he served his sentence in prison from May 2013, will make his way out of the jail for once and for all on February 25 this year. The reason for his release, seven months before the five-year sentence, is cited as ‘good behaviour’ in the jail. 
 
The first course of action has already started rolling out. One of the convicts in former PM Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Perarivalan, has sought to know the grounds of Dutt’s release. He was serving reminiscent prison sentence of 42 months from the time he went behind bars amidst much drama surrounding his return to prison when the sentence was commuted. 
 
Perarivalan has used the Right to Information Act, one of the most democratic weapons Indians have against the lagging administrative and judicial system. Perarivalan is currently lodged in Vellore Central Prison. 
 
Activists are already building arguments around Dutt’s impending release saying ‘good conduct’ is not a ground for release under serious cases such as TADA under which Dutt was jailed. 
 
Though the proposal granting his remittance is yet to be cleared by the Maharashtra government, speculations are rife that the proposal would be given ‘due’ importance and a certain amount of surety will be demanded from Dutt. 
 
An activist Pradeep Bhalekar has filed a PIL in Bombay High Court questioning this step taken by the authorities in Dutt’s case which would send ‘wrong’ message to the society. 
 
Bhalekar claims there are nearly 27,740 prisoners who have been jailed across the state under charges that are lighter than that the actor faces. If they cannot be freed, how was Dutt’s case considered to be above them, and above the law which is deemed to be equal for all? 
 
This would also send somewhat a mixed message to the convicts of various crimes that no matter how serious the crime is, one can supersede the law using the same contexts that set the stage for their arrest and conviction. 
 
Meanwhile, Bollywood awaits its Munna Bhai with great anticipation. New scripts, new releases and new stories will hit the screen, adding excitement and some great economy to the biggest employer of this nation—the Bollywood. 
 
The next series of Munna Bhai, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, is being planned coinciding with days when the actor turns a free bird. 
 
Bollywood has been in the centre of storm over legalities owing to the huge economical margins they set in motion with their presence on the screen. Their on-screen persona should not influence their off-screen activities, which are sometimes more than questionable. 
 
For instance, when Bollywood actor Salman Khan, considered to be a mega force in the industry, was granted bail soon after his conviction in hit-and-run case, the reaction on social media and the celebration that followed showed societal emotions override all legal modalities when it comes to heroes who are demigods in the country since a long time. 
 
Dutt’s release before time will surely send a mixed bag of signals to the society on this front. On the other hand, should a man/actor/celebrity be dealt more sternly than required just because of his personality being in the public eye? This is another question that would haunt the society in some ways, which would disturb the equilibrium of the law as well. 
 
Should Dutt complete the sentence, foregoing all the privileges that have been granted by the law to all citizens? What would then be the incentive for a convicted person to go on the path of reformation and regret should he be kept out from this provision? 
 
It is a well established fact that while Dutt serves his sentence in the prison, has always maintained good relations with his fellow prison mates and has show exemplary behavior that can set the stage for a lot of people to emulate his conduct while they bow before the verdict of law. 
With that, the question remains. Should he, or shouldn’t he be released? 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Sanjay Dutt’s impending release may have repercussions

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50534638.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> actor <keyword id="7645" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sanjay-Dutt">Sanjay Dutt</keyword> who’s serving five-year sentence at the Yerawada central prison in Pune for illegal possession and destruction of an AK-56 rifle in 1993 serial blasts case, will be released on February 25. 
 
The actor will be released on February 25, 103 days ahead of the official end of his prison term on the grounds of 'good conduct', a senior official said here today. 
 Dutt, who was convicted in the <keyword id="69397" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="1993-Mumbai-blasts">1993 Mumbai blasts</keyword> case for possessing illegal weapons and sentenced to five years in jail, had already served 18 months before the verdict was pronounced. 
 
The actor is serving 42 months of his remaining jail term, after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction in 2013. 
 
After being granted a 14-day furlough in December 2014, he was expected to report back to jail on January 7 but sought an extension of furlough from jail authorities. The jail authorities, however, informed Dutt about it being rejected only on January 9. 
 
Dutt was given a clean chit for this delay, after an inquiry into the matter. The Home department had served a memo to two officials from the Yerwada central prison for the delay in making a decision. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Actor
Sanjay Dutt to be released from Yerawada prison on February 25

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/27835438.cms" /> If you think <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s prolonged search for the next <keyword id="5645" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="CEO">CEO</keyword> is getting a bit nutty, especially with a disgruntled <keyword id="62333" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Steve-Ballmer">Steve Ballmer</keyword> waiting on the sidelines to hand over the mantle, you are not far from the truth. But then, that is the actual state of the coveted C-Suite nowadays – volatile is the right word if you want to sum it up. There is no job security at the top and even the best performer for years can get redundant within the span of a few weeks. The issues could be many – right from <keyword id="646347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="poor-performance">poor performance</keyword> to <keyword id="610960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="business-restructuring">business restructuring</keyword> to alleged <keyword id="6375736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="corruption-charges">corruption charges</keyword>. But the biggest factor is relevance, a perfect future-fit that can take companies ahead, according to <keyword id="67736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Industry-experts">industry experts</keyword>. In a difficult <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword>, companies are compelled to twist and turn to keep track of profitability and their requirements change accordingly. Hence, their leaders have to adapt, shape up or ship out, as the case might be. 
 India is no exception and business leaders across the country have been frequently ‘released’ by industry giants. Many of them leave with ‘immediate effect’ while others are on garden leave or worse still, waiting for their predecessors to turn up (just like Ballmer). Yet, most of the C-Suite executives are tight-lipped about their departures, at least here in India. We are yet to come across an announcement like the one made by <keyword id="384914" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Groupon">Groupon</keyword>’s founder and former CEO <keyword id="488139" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andrew-Mason">Andrew Mason</keyword>. But exit happens all the same – be it discreet or blatant. Here’s a quick look at some of the top-notch C-Suite executives from India who parted ways with their respective companies in 2013, their official exit lines and what happened behind the scene.

Strife At The Top: These
11 C-Suite Execs From India
Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47583101.cms" /> After Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> started showing in the image search results for "<keyword id="2888765" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="top-10-criminals">Top 10 criminals</keyword>, search engine giant <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> apologised for any "confusion or misunderstanding" caused by showing the Indian Prime Minister alongside US mobster Al Capone and other top criminals. 
 
A PTI report revealed that in an email reply to an AFP inquiry, Google said that "These results trouble us and are not reflective of the opinions of Google. Sometimes, the way images are described on the Internet can yield surprising results to specific queries." 
 According to BBC news, “Mr Modi figures prominently in the search alongside images of terrorists, murderers and dictators. Other world leaders on the list include former US president <keyword id="13717" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="george-bush">George Bush</keyword> and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.” 
 “Other prominent Indians who come up in the search include Delhi Chief Minister <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword>, lawyer <keyword id="38062" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ram-Jethmalani">Ram Jethmalani</keyword>, fugitive underworld don <keyword id="2888763" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dawood-Ibrahim-and-Bollywood">Dawood Ibrahim and Bollywood</keyword> actor <keyword id="7645" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Dutt">Sanjay Dutt</keyword> who is serving a jail term in connection with deadly blasts in Mumbai in 1993,” BBC report added. 
 Google had also issued a similar apology last month after it emerged that searches using racist language pinpointed the White House, home of President <keyword id="15962" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Barack-Obama">Barack Obama</keyword>. 
 
However, It was unclear whether the outcome resulted from a search algorithm being duped or flawed, or was caused by a user taking advantage of crowd-sourced editing capabilities intended to improve maps with local knowledge. 
(Image: The Economic Times)

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<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/49983242.cms" /> 
The recent backlash that etailer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal">Snapdeal</a> faced because of the comments on ‘intolerance’ made by its brand ambassador and actor <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=AamirKhan">Aamir Khan</a> in his personal capacity has definitely left many wondering--Is this backlash a heads up for a new trend on the way brands connect with their consumers? 
 
Brands in India have traditionally relied on popular faces – Bollywood actors and cricketers for connecting with their audiences. However, they probably had never faced such severe criticism for the actions of their brand ambassadors. 
 
So what changed this time? It isn’t the first time that a popular Bollywood actor was in news for the ‘wrong’ reasons. Well, the explanation is simple! This time, actor <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=AamirKhan">Aamir Khan</a> made a direct remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regime. And this did not go down well at all with his fellow Indians, who believe superstar PM Modi is the only one who can salvage the country’s future. 
 
Khan was criticized for shaming the country in a public forum and was looked upon as a traitor, who did not value the love and honour that supposedly given by the country. So anything and everything that was associated with him became a taboo. 
 <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> distanced itself from it the actor and later clarified, “<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal">Snapdeal</a> is neither connected nor plays a role in comments made by <keyword id="6355923" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Aamir-Khan">Aamir Khan</keyword> in his personal capacity. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal">Snapdeal</a> is a proud Indian company built by passionate young Indians focused on building an inclusive digital India.” 
 
It further added, “Everyday we are positively impacting thousands of small businesses and millions of consumers in India. We will continue towards our mission of creating one million successful online entrepreneurs in India.” 
 
But does the recent controversy over <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=AamirKhan">Aamir Khan</a>’s remark on intolerance mark an end of the love affair between brands and brand 
ambassadors? 
 
Well, we don’t think so! Bollywood’s bhai, Salman Khan probably ended up with a larger fan base than ever, with brands still lining up to sign him as their brand ambassador following his conviction in the decade long hit-and-run case. 
 
“I don’t see the brands dumping Salman Khan immediately, for all of them signed him up knowing fully well that he has cases pending against him. His equity will be impacted in long term, as the news of his sentencing starts to build up. He would have a small phase of sympathy, but it will start to peter out. Long term his equity will definitely take a knock This is not the only case pending, the blackbuck one too is pending,” Naresh Gupta, managing partner of creative agency Bang in the Midde had said sometime back. 
 
Nor it seems actor Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted for his role in the 1993 blasts, would be looked upon as a ‘traitor’ once he is out of jail next year. One movie and his role in the 1993 blasts would be forgotten. 
 
Similarly, Shahrukh Khan too faced flak sometime back when he too commented on the growing intolerance in the country. Nevertheless, the brands associated with him were not adversely impacted by the comments, which were later clarified by the actor on social media. 
 
So, what did <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=AamirKhan">Aamir</a> do that irked consumers so much that they directed their anger at the brand he endorses? 
 
While some say that it was his ‘blatant disregard for his nation’ that invited the wrath of his fans, we feel the fact that the actor’s comments were more personal in nature (involving his wife Kiran Rao) that did the damage. This was further worsened by media’s misinterpretation of it. Hence, his brands too felt the heat. 
 
However, to say that the marriage between brands and brand ambassadors has come to an end would be a gross misrepresentation of the facts. This is definitely one-off cases. And unless, consumers in India mature and realise that the brands are separate from the endorser’s identity, we will continue to see the Khans rule our idiot box as well!

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