Supreme Court declines bail to gangster Abu Salem in 1995 murder case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to grant bail to extradited gangster Abu Salem, who is serving life imprisonment in the 1995 murder case of Mumbai-based builder Pradeep Jain.

A Bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli dismissed the bail plea of Salem, however, directed the Registry to list his appeals against the February 25, 2015 judgement of the special TADA court, for final disposal in the third week of November 2021.

Special TADA court in Mumbai on February 25, 2015, had sentenced Salem to life imprisonment for killing the builder, along with his driver Mehndi Hassan.

"This is an application filed on behalf of the applicant/appellant seeking bail during the pendency of the appeal. Having heard counsel for the parties and carefully perusing the averments made in the application, we are not inclined to grant bail to the applicant/appellant. However, taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of the case, we direct the Registry to list these appeals for final disposal in the third week of November 2021," the top court stated in its order.

Jain was shot dead on March 7, 1995, by assailants outside his Juhu bungalow after he allegedly refused to part with his huge property to Salem, according to police.

Abu Salem, along with Mehendi Hassan, has been convicted of terrorism under TADA.
Salem, also a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, was extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005, after a prolonged legal battle.

In June 2017, Salem was convicted and later awarded a life sentence for his role in the 1993 serial blast case in Mumbai. He was found guilty of transporting weapons from Gujarat to Mumbai ahead of the blasts.

On March 12, 1993, Mumbai saw a series of 12 bomb explosions that took place one after another in about two hours.

The blasts had left 257 dead, 713 persons seriously injured, and destroyed properties worth crores.

(ANI)