Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan has defended extension of parole of actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted in the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case, saying the action was taken as per law and no rules were violated.

Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted under Arms Act for illegal possession of weapons, was granted a month-long parole on December 6 last year, which was extended by another 30 days last month on account of his wife's illness.

He was supposed to return to Yerawada jail on February 21 to serve the remainder of his five year sentence but his parole was extended by another month by Pune district authorities to enable him to attend to his ailing wife Maanyata, who recently underwent a surgical procedure.

His prolonged stay out of prison has triggered a controversy with a PIL being filed yesterday in the Bombay High Court challenging extension of his parole. The PIL accusing the superintendent of Yerawada jail and Pune Divisional Commissioner of abusing their powers has been posted for hearing on February 25.

“Decisions are taken as per law, without violating any provisions. Decisions are taken at the appropriate level. There is nothing political in it, no rules were violated," the chief minister said.

The actor is currently serving his sentence of 60 weeks. As the actor had already served 18 weeks before, he is currently the rest 42 weeks.