Relief for Abu Salem as court rules he can’t be tried in Bhopal murder case

Justice Vivek Agrawal ruled that Salem cannot be tried for any other case apart from the nine mentioned in the extradition treaty between India and Portugal.

A single bench of the high court in Jabalpur has quashed the production warrant issued in gangster Abu Salem’s name by Bhopal district court in connection with a double murder case in which he was allegedly involved.

Abu Salem being taken from court in a police van in 2015. (HT File Photo)

Salem’s advocate Alok Baghrecha said Justice Vivek Agrawal ruled that Salem cannot be tried for any other case apart from the nine mentioned in the extradition treaty between India and Portugal, under which he was brought to India.

The murder case in Bhopal in which Salem has been made an accused had not been included in the list of cases at the time of Salem’s extradition. However, the prosecution argued that since one of the nine cases for which Salem was being tried in India included a murder case, it followed that he could be tried in all murder cases. Salem, convicted in 1993 Mumbai blast case, has two cases pending in MP.