Mumbai: Special Court Denies Abu Salem’s Request for Release Date, Upholds 25-Year Sentence

Mumbai, 11th December 2024: A special court in Mumbai has denied a request from gangster Abu Salem, currently imprisoned, seeking a tentative release date from Maharashtra prison authorities.

The court dismissed his plea, emphasizing that Salem was convicted for severe offences, including bomb attacks on key government facilities and crowded areas in Mumbai, which posed a direct threat to national security and public safety.

Salem is serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings and the murder of a builder. Special judge VD Kedar pointed out that the special TADA Court had sentenced Salem to life imprisonment for the bomb blasts. However, following a ruling by the Supreme Court in July 2022, his life sentence was reduced to 25 years in prison, based on an extradition agreement and assurances from the Indian government.

Having been extradited to India from Portugal in November 2005, Salem initially received a life sentence for each of the two crimes. He contested his sentence in the Supreme Court, citing the extradition agreement, which included a promise that his sentence would not exceed 25 years and would not include a death sentence.

The special judge further referred to the 2022 Supreme Court ruling, which emphasized the severity of Salem’s crimes and concluded that there was no basis for the court to grant special privileges regarding his sentence duration.

Judge Kedar concluded that Salem must serve the full 25-year term as per the Supreme Court’s ruling. He also noted that had there been no extradition agreement, Salem would have been sentenced to life imprisonment, which would mean serving his entire natural life, unless clemency was granted by the President of India or the Governor of Maharashtra under Section 432 of the Code.