‘Govt bound to request Prez for Salem’s release after 25 yrs in jail’

The central government had, at the time of Salem’s extradition from Portugal in 2005, given a “national commitment” to the Portugese government that he would not be sentenced to death or more than 25 years in jail, jail authorities noted, saying they would forward the necessary papers for his release within a month of his completing the stipulated prison term in 2030

MUMBAI: The central government is bound to request the president to release gangster and 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Abu Salem Abdul Qayyum Ansari, currently lodged in Nashik jail, after he completes 25 years of imprisonment, prison authorities informed the special TADA court on Tuesday.

‘Govt bound to request Prez for Salem’s release after 25 yrs in jail’

The central government had, at the time of Salem’s extradition from Portugal in 2005, given a “national commitment” to the Portugese government that he would not be sentenced to death or more than 25 years in jail, jail authorities noted, saying they would forward the necessary papers for his release within a month of his completing the stipulated prison term in 2030.

The special court was hearing Salem’s plea seeking clarity on the tentative date of his release from jail.

The gangster had fled from India after the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai and was caught in Portugal later. He was extradited to India in November 2005 after a prolonged legal battle with the Portugese government, during which the Indian government assured that he would not be awarded death penalty or jailed beyond 25 years. The Portugese government was also assured that he would not be prosecuted for offences other than those for which his extradition was being sought.

Salem was formally arrested on November 11, 2005, and was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special TADA court in 2017 for his role in the 1993 serial bombings.

On July 20, he sent a letter to the superintendent of Nashik Central Prison, asking for details regarding the date of his release after considering the total period of incarceration, including the actual period of imprisonment, pre-conviction incarceration and the remission available to him.

He approached the special court through advocate Farhana Shah in the second week of October as he did not get a reply from jail authorities. He had spent 23 years, 7 months and 28 days behind bars including remission, he stated in the plea.

In response, Nashik jail authorities said the question of honoring the assurance regarding 25 years of imprisonment would only arise after the jail term got over on November 10, 2030. The central government would advice the president of India for exercise of his powers under article 72 of the Constitution once the term was over, the authorities said, adding that “such a plea cannot be raised as an argument before the period elapses.”

In June this year, the special TADA court had allowed set-off to Salem, for the years that he had spent in prison during his trial in the 1993 bomb blasts case. Salem was one of the convicts who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the special TADA court for his role in the March 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, which took the lives of over 257 people and injured around 713 individuals.

The blasts targeted various locations in Mumbai including the Bombay Stock Exchange, Kalbadevi, Shiv Sena Bhavan, Air India building at Nariman Point, Fishermen’s Colony in Mahim, Worli Century Bazar, Zaveri Bazar and Hotel Sea Rock in Bandra.