Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Apr 8: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the state and central governments to file their replies to a petition filed by 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Abu Salem, who is currently serving a life sentence in Nashik prison.

Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in 2005 and later convicted, has approached the court seeking clarity on his release date. He has argued that, as per the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling, he cannot be imprisoned for more than 25 years.

His plea, filed through Advocate Farhana Shah on January 30, claims that by December 31, 2024, he would have completed 24 years, nine months, and 16 days of incarceration — including time served in Portugal before deportation to India.

Salem was sentenced to life on September 7, 2017, by a special TADA court for his involvement in the serial blasts case. He also received another life sentence in 2015 in a separate builder’s murder case. However, in 2022, the Supreme Court commuted his sentence in that case to 25 years and allowed the state to consider remission one month before completion of the term.

Citing a special TADA court's 2023 ruling, which allowed a set-off for his pre-trial detention, Salem claims that along with remission earned for good conduct — totalling nearly 2 years and 10 months — he has already served the equivalent of the 25-year sentence.

He contends that by February 27, 2024, he had effectively completed 23 years, 7 months, and 28 days of his term.

A division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Advait Sethna has directed the authorities to respond by April 25 and has scheduled the next hearing on April 29.