Gangster Abu Salem, a key player in the 1993 Mumbai blasts carnage, faced a courtroom defeat in the Supreme Court today. His plea for premature release, grounded in the India-Portugal extradition agreement, was withdrawn and dismissed, paving the way for battles in the Bombay High Court.
Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard arguments from senior counsel Rishi Malhotra, who opted to pull back the special leave petition. The strategy? Fast-track a related case in the High Court for an early decision. The Supreme Court granted this liberty, closing the SLP without barring future moves.
Salem’s core argument revolved around serving 25 years—the cap under the extradition treaty—plus remission credits for good conduct amounting to 3 years and 16 days. He had previously petitioned the Bombay High Court to fix a release date upon hitting this threshold. That court, however, shot it down on July 7, 2025, deeming the term incomplete at first glance.
In Supreme Court, Malhotra pressed that officials erred mathematically in the count. Salem was handed over by Portugal in 2005 after years of legal wrangling, with assurances he wouldn’t face death or life imprisonment.
The verdict highlights judicial oversight in high-profile terror cases. As Abu Salem’s team shifts focus to the High Court, the nation watches closely. This saga tests the balance between international treaties and domestic justice, with implications for extradition norms worldwide.