Court rejects gangster Abu Salem's plea against prison transfer

Mumbai: The special TADA court here on Tuesday rejected gangster Abu Salem's plea opposing his planned transfer from the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai. Salem is undergoing life sentence at the Taloja prison in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The decision to shift him was a "conspiracy to kill him" as he was likely to be released in a few months, Salem's application claimed.

The current prison was safe for him and he could be attacked by members of the rival gangs in other jails in Maharashtra, it said. The jail administration told the court it wanted to relocate Salem as his current cell needed reconstruction, and there was no other safe cell for him in Taloja. Special judge for cases under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act B D Shelke, after hearing both the sides, rejected Salem's plea.

The court, however, asked the inspector general (prisons), Pune, to issue appropriate directions to the Taloja jail superintendent to ensure the gangster's safety while shifting him to the central prison in Nashik, as planned. A direction should also be issued to the Nashik prison to ensure the safety and security of the convict, the judge said.


The IG shall review Salem's safety periodically and submit a report once in four months, the court said. The TADA court, however, said its order should not be implemented till July 3 as Salem's lawyer Taraq Sayyed said he intended to file an appeal. Extradited from Portugal in 2005, Salem was awarded life sentence in 2017 by the TADA court for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.