The Supreme Court dismissed gangster Abu Salem’s petition seeking release from prison. Salem is serving a life sentence in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case, which killed 257 people. He had argued that his imprisonment period crossed 25 years under India’s assurance to Portugal. Salem reached India from Portugal on November 11, 2005.
According to Salem’s claim, prison conduct benefits reduced his sentence by more than two years and nine months. Therefore, he argued that he completed the 25-year term under extradition conditions.
However, the Supreme Court rejected his request and refused to order his release.
Court Rejects Claim Over Completed Sentence
Senior advocate Rishi Malhotra represented Abu Salem during the hearing. He argued that sentence reductions and custody period during the trial completed Salem’s 25-year punishment.
Furthermore, Malhotra said keeping Salem in prison would amount to illegal detention. He also claimed that continued imprisonment violated Salem’s constitutional rights.
However, the bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta rejected these arguments. The judges said Bombay High Court’s calculation showed that Salem’s sentence was still incomplete.
Therefore, the Supreme Court decided not to interfere in the matter.
Earlier Attempts For Release Also Failed
Previously, Abu Salem filed multiple petitions seeking his release from prison. Earlier this year, on February 16, the Supreme Court refused to hear one such petition. At that time, the court said the High Court should examine the matter using documents received from Nashik jail. Supreme Court refused to direct an early hearing before the High Court. The court stated that Salem received punishment under TADA and said, “You got punishment under TADA, not to do any good for society.”
Salem had earlier claimed that India assured Portugal about a maximum 25-year sentence. In 2022, the Supreme Court said he could seek release after completing 25 years.
However, the latest order keeps Abu Salem in prison as his sentence remains unfinished.
