Supreme Court rules that gangster Abu Salem must be released after serving his 25-year sentence.

  • July 12, 2022, 12:36 p.m.

Gangster Abu Salem, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, will be a free man after spending 25 years in prison as the Supreme Court today ruled that the Centre should honour the terms of the India-Portugal extradition treaty that formed the basis of his extradition.

A bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, however, made it clear that Salem’s detention period in Portugal in relation to a passport fraud case can’t be considered as part of the 25-year term.

"We conclude that the detention of the appellant (Salem) commenced on October 12, 2005, in the present case." The Bench said the Central government is bound to advise the President of India for the exercise of his powers under Article 72 of the Constitution and to release the appellant "in terms of the national commitment as well as the principle based on comity of courts."

The necessary papers have to be forwarded within a month of the completion of the 25-year sentence in Salem, it said. "In fact, the government can itself exercise this power (of remission) in terms of Sections 432 and 433 of the CrPC and such an exercise should also take place within the same time period of one month," it said.

Author : Rajdhani Delhi Representative

Rajdhani delhi representative

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