Jun 30, (NDTV): He's been in prison since his extradition to India from Portugal. His partner then Monica Bedi has left him. But for underworld don Abu Salem life is more riveting than a Bollywood script. He has now consented to marriage with a woman who filed an application in a court to allow the don to marry her.

In a statement to the court, Abu Salem said, "I apologise from the bottom of my heart to the applicant for the sufferings she had to undergo because of my name being tagged with her. I appreciate the bold stand taken by the applicant."

A 27-year-old Mumbra-based woman had made the application complaining that after a newspaper printed her photograph with Abu Salem nobody wanted to marry her.

Last year there were reports that the don had a Nikaah ceremony on a train with the woman while he was being taken to Lucknow for a court appearance.

Abu Salem, 47, who was extradited to India in 2002, is being tried in a series of cases. Earlier this year, he was convicted by a special Tada court and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of builder Pradip Jain in 1995.

This is not going to be first time the gangster is tying the knot. In the early 90s, Abu Salem was married to Sumaira Jumani, with whom he has a son. Ms Jumani had married Abu Salem against the wishes of her family and the two separated after actor Monica Bedi entered his life. Abu Salem and Monica Bedi fled the country but Ms Bedi has always denied being married to him.

One lawyer, who regularly visits Sessions Court, quipped, "I can only hope that Salem will be third time lucky."