Supreme Court's Verdict Looms: Will Abu Salem Walk Free?

The Supreme Court is evaluating notorious gangster Abu Salem's claim of having completed a 25-year prison term, which could lead to his release. Extradited in 2005, Salem argues his sentence has concluded. The court has requested relevant documents to verify this before the next hearing.

The Supreme Court on Monday pressed notorious gangster Abu Salem to justify his claim of having served 25 years in prison. If substantiated, this assertion could facilitate his release.

Salem, implicated in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, was extradited from Portugal in November 2005 following protracted legal battles. Per India-Portugal extradition terms, Salem's imprisonment can't exceed 25 years, and he can't face the death penalty. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta challenged Salem's lawyer to validate the completion of the 25-year term.

Counsel representing Salem asserted that, factoring in remission, the 25-year term is complete. However, with his conviction under TADA, the court noted that Maharashtra's prison rules on remission must be examined. The bench gave Salem's counsel two weeks to produce pertinent records, setting the hearing for February 9.

(With inputs from agencies.)