New Delhi, 10 September (H.S.):

A bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Vikram Nath, has rejected the plea filed by Abu Salem seeking premature release in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The court had reserved its judgment on July 27.

During the hearing, Abu Salem’s counsel, Rishi Malhotra, had argued that the remission granted for good conduct during his incarceration, as well as the period he spent in custody as an undertrial prisoner, should also be counted towards his 25-year sentence. He submitted that, after taking these periods into account, Salem had already completed approximately 26 years in custody, which was more than the 25-year term, and therefore he should be released.

Malhotra further submitted that the TADA court had also directed that Salem be given the benefit of the period spent in custody as an undertrial prisoner, but the jail authorities had not implemented the direction.

Earlier, in April 2025, the Bombay High Court had dismissed Abu Salem’s petition seeking premature release. The High Court had observed that, in accordance with the assurance given by India to Portugal at the time of his extradition, the 25-year period would be completed in November 2030. It further held that this period could not be reduced by granting remission on the basis of good conduct.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar