Bombay High Court Dismisses Abu Salem's Plea for Release

The Bombay High Court has denied the plea filed by gangster Abu Salem seeking immediate release from prison, asserting his claim of having completed the 25-year jail term mandated by his extradition agreement with Portugal. Salem's plea, presented by his advocate, Farhana Shah, argued that remission for good behavior should conclude his sentence.

However, Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata of the High Court declared that Salem's claim was premature, aligning with a Supreme Court precedent that stipulates remission calculations should occur a month prior to release. Furthermore, the government contends that Salem has only served 19 years of his sentence thus far.

Salem, convicted in the notorious 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, was extradited from Portugal in 2005 with assurances against the death penalty and imprisonment exceeding 25 years. The Court dismissed his petition, with a detailed order yet to be released.