Supreme Court dismisses gangster Abu Salem’s plea seeking release from custody

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Abu Salem seeking release from prison on the ground that he had completed the 25-year jail term he was required to serve.

Mr. Salem was extradited from Portugal to India in 2005 after the Indian government gave a sovereign assurance that he would neither be sentenced to death nor imprisoned for more than 25 years. Following his extradition, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by special courts under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) in 2015 for the 1995 murder of businessman Pradeep Jain and in 2017 for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

In view of the sovereign assurance given to Portugal, the Supreme Court in July 2022 commuted the life sentences imposed on Salem in the two cases to a maximum term of 25 years.