Harish Palaniappan's

Actor sanjay dutt was given 6-yrs imprisonment yesterday by a TADA court in India.. for acquiring some weapons illegally during the 1993 riots.

Read the full story here: Sanjay Dutt sentenced to 6 years in jail

Though it definitely seems like the actor has turned a noble man today, and understands his mistakes of the past and accepts them as mistakes that are legally punishable by law, and though the judge and dutt have had a few minutes of informal talk in the court during the judgement,

...finally, it is on a strong and brave note that the actor is punished.. that justice prevails.. whoever and whatever you are.

..because, otherwise it could stand a hole in the law/the judgement itself, and might be referrenced innumerable times in future cases quoting this judgement to consider a reprive, hadn't the judge awarded punishment to the actor.

I was moved by the part in the news story (link above), where the judge tries to make some really humane attempts in asking the actor to be brave.. further goes on to make a small joke and discuss his films to help him not breakdown.

I don't know, whether all judges make informal chats like this to really innocent people on the witness box, or try to help them reveal stuff in the light of the law, or talk to the lawyers or prosecutors like collegues rather than as judge on their case.

To me, this was one of the few times I have read details in a newspaper about the lighter side of a court proceeding. In recent years, especially supreme court rulings, elaborated in the newspaper reveals a kind of attitude change in the country, I so tend to believe.

I do not know whether this is attitude change in the way cases are handled, or in the way people are looking at law and the judicial system itself (which has definitely raised people trust levels on the system), or in the way the media has started reporting news in stating it as a script of a novel rather than just bluntly say 'Sanjay dutt awarded 6 years for such and such a thing' and move on to the next news.

Whatever it was, I am growing slowly very possessive and observant of my country India... and happy to be living in a phase where the country is transforming into a developed nation, that too at a maturity level where I am able to understand the changes happening in the country.

And justice prevails. We will wait for Munnabhai to return in 2013, or may be even earlier if he gets a bail or a shorter term based on his nobleness and character in jail.

If you saw Lage raho MunnaBhai, this below cartoon in 'The Hindu' will cheer you up.

News source, pictures, and cartoon source: From my daily newspaper, which I am slowly becoming addicted to, The Hindu.