HC orders sealing of Sanjay Dutt's properties

The Mumbai Sheriff’s office on Tuesday attached actor Sanjay Dutt's residential flat in Imperial Heights at Pali Hill in order to recover amount of Rs 2.03 crore to be paid by the actor to producer Shakeel Noorani under an IMPPA award. The office of the actor's production house -- Sanjay Dutt

Productions in Mayfair Melody at Santacruz --also figures in the list of attachments, and is likely to be attached on Wednesay.

Though the actor would continue to live in his residential flat at Pali Hill, he has only 30 days to comply with the IMPPA (Indian Motion Picture Producers Association) order, failing which the premises would be sold through public auction. Noorani’s lawyer Ashok Sarogi confirmed the Sheriff’s office has pasted attachment notice outside flat no. 1101 in Imperial Heights.

The matter dates back to October 2001, when Noorani Film Corporation had begun shooting of a film Jaan Ki Baazi, in which Sanjay Dutt was playing lead role. According to Sarogi, Noorani could not complete the film beyond 50 per cent, as the actor refused co-operate and give any dates despite receiving Rs 50 lakh as signing amount.

A year later, Noorani had moved IMPPA (Indian Motion Picture Producer’s Association) seeking refund of signing amount and additional amount of Rs 1.53 crore which he had incurred on shooting of the incomplete film.

Acting on his plea, IMPPA had passed an award on January 28, 2010 directing Sanjay Dutt to allot within 15 days 30 dates to Noorani Film Corporation, failing which the actor was directed to refund the entire amount of Rs 2.03 crore to the producer.

IMPPA orders acquire legal status of an arbitration award, said Sarogi adding, despite having 90 days to challenge it before a competent court, Dutt neither complied with nor challenged it.

After waiting for Dutt’s response to the IMPPA award, on October 8, 2010 Noorani moved the high court for its execution. Acting on the plea, the execution department of the high court last week directed the Sheriff’s office to attach the two premises owned by Dutt in order to recover the purported losses suffered by the producer.

With the attachment notice pasted outside his premises, according to Sarogi, now the actor has 30 more days to comply with the IMPPA award and pay the arbitral amount to Noorani failing which the Sheriff’s Office would auction both the actor’s residential flat as well as the office of his production house.