Supreme Court Denies Abu Salem Early Release Plea

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by gangster Abu Salem, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, seeking his release from prison. Salem had argued that he had completed the 25-year imprisonment limit stipulated by India's extradition agreement with Portugal. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta upheld the Bombay High Court's earlier decision, deeming Salem's plea premature. India had assured Portugal that Abu Salem, extradited on November 11, 2005, would not face the death penalty and would not be imprisoned for more than 25 years. Salem's legal team contended that when undertrial custody, post-conviction imprisonment, and earned remission for good conduct were combined, he had already surpassed the 25-year mark. His lawyer argued that continued detention beyond this period was illegal. However, the Supreme Court ruled that earned remission under Maharashtra prison rules cannot be applied to calculate the 25-year cap. The court's interpretation means the 25-year limit refers to actual imprisonment. Based on this calculation, Salem would complete 25 years of actual imprisonment in 2030.