The Supreme Court, during its hearing regarding the conviction and sentencing of Abu Salem, announced on Monday that the Centre is bound to honour its commitment given to Portugal and release gangster Abu Salem on completion of his 25-year sentence in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.
A bench of Justices S K Kaul and M M Sundresh said the Central government is bound to advise the President of India for the exercise of power under Article 72 of the Constitution and the national commitment to completion of his sentence.
The apex court bench said, “We conclude the detention of the appellant commencing from 10.11.2005...On the appellant completing 25 years of sentence the Central Government is bound to advise the President of India for the exercise of power under A 72 of the Constitution and the national commitment.”
"The necessary papers be forwarded within a month of completion of 25 years. In fact, the government can itself exercise the power of remission under CrPC within the time period of one month upon completion of 25 years," the bench said, as per PTI reports.
Abu Salem, who was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, had said that as per a solemn assurance given by India to Portugal for his extradition in 2002, his sentence in the terrorism case could not exceed more than 25 years, set to end in 2030.
On February 25, 2015, a special TADA court awarded life imprisonment to Salem in another case for murdering Mumbai-based builder Pradeep Jain in 1995 along with his driver Mehndi Hassan.
Salem, also a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, was extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005, after a prolonged legal battle. Salem was convicted on several charges in relation to the Mumbai blasts, which killed over 250 people, and destroyed property worth crores.
(With PTI inputs)
READ | Telangana BJP hits out at CM KCR, says ‘ruling TRS has several Eknath Shindes’
