Abu Salem suffers a major setback from the Supreme Court; plea claiming completion of 25-year sentence rejected, will remain in jail

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Notorious underworld don Abu Salem, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, has received a major setback from India’s top court. The Supreme Court of India rejected his plea seeking release, making it clear that he will continue to remain in prison.

The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta. The court dismissed Salem’s argument that he had already completed 25 years of imprisonment and was therefore entitled to release.

During the hearing, Salem’s lawyer argued that his client was taken into custody on November 11, 2005, and had effectively completed the maximum period of imprisonment promised at the time of extradition. However, the Supreme Court raised a sharp question, asking whether the defence was including remission while calculating the 25-year period. Finding the argument unconvincing, the court refused to grant any relief.

Salem’s case has long been linked with international extradition laws. He was arrested in Portugal in 2002 in a fake passport case, after which India sought his extradition. Following prolonged legal proceedings, Portugal handed him over to India on November 11, 2005. Before approving extradition, Portugal had imposed strict conditions that Salem would neither be awarded the death penalty nor be kept in prison for more than 25 years. This assurance was crucial, as Portuguese law does not permit capital punishment.

Abu Salem is a key convict in the deadly 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, one of the most devastating terror attacks in India’s history. On March 12, 1993, multiple RDX-laden car bombs exploded across Mumbai within a short span, targeting major locations such as the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Air India Building. The coordinated blasts killed hundreds of innocent people and left the nation deeply shaken.