Mumbai, Feb 19 (UNI) Gangster Abu Salem, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, has moved the Bombay High Court seeking remission of his sentence and premature release, his lawyer Farhan Shah said here on Wednesday.
The petition, filed before a division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and S M Modak, is listed for hearing on March 10.
Salem in his petition said that as per terms of the extradition treaty between India and Portugal, he has already completed 25 years in prison and hence, he should be released from prison.
His petition further contended that he has spent 11 years, nine months and 26 days as an undertrial from November 2005 to September 2017. As a convict in 2006 TADA case, he has spent nine years, 10 months and four days between February 2015 and December 2024.
In addition, he has earned three years and 16 days jail remission for good behaviour in the 2006 case and another one-month relaxation given by the apex court for the time he spent as an undertrial in Portugal.
If all these periods are added, he has already served over 24 years and nine months in total, by the end of 2024, the court was informed.
Moreover, his plea has raised concerns about the breach of assurances made during his extradition from Portugal.
Salem was brought to India in 2005 following an extradition treaty with Portugal. Terms included that his detention would not exceed over 25 years in line with the "principle of specialty".
The gangster had moved the court after his plea was rejected by the special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) court on December 10, 2024.
UNI AAA SS