SC rejects 1993 blast accused Abu Salem's plea for early release from life term
The Supreme Court has dismissed gangster Abu Salem's request for early release, despite him having served twenty-five years of his sentence. This plea comes after his extradition from Portugal in November 2005. The court reaffirmed a decision by the Bombay High Court, determining that his request was premature. Abu Salem is currently incarcerated for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
The Supreme Court dismissed a plea by gangster Abu Salem on Thursday after he sought an early release from custody for having completed 25 years in jail.Salem, who is serving a sentence in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, was extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005, following a prolonged legal battle.The extradition agreement between India and Portugal stipulated that Salem could not be sentenced to death and that his prison term could not exceed 25 years.A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta upheld Bombay High Court’s April ruling, which had rejected his plea for immediate release, terming it “premature” and “misconceived”.
A detailed order is yet to be released.Earlier in Feb, the Supreme Court refused to entertain Salem’s plea, which claimed that he was in "illegal custody" for over 10 months as he had already undergone the 25-year sentence awarded to him in the March 12, 1993, Mumbai serial bomb blasts case.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.