Supreme Court dismisses Abu Salem's plea for premature release in 1993 Bombay blasts case

The case concerns Abu Salem's appeal against the Bombay High Court's dismissal of his petition for release, arguing that he had completed the 25-year sentence limit imposed by the Supreme Court in 2022 based on his extradition assurance. The core issue is whether his calculation of time served, including jail-earned remission and overlapping custody periods, legally satisfies the 25-year requirement.

Appellant: Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari; Respondents: The State of Maharashtra & Ors.; Bench: Justice Vikram Nath.

• The Court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the High Court's judgment dated 15th April, 2026.
• The Court held that the appellant had not legally completed the 25-year period prescribed by the 2022 judgment.
• The Court rejected the appellant's computation of custody, finding it flawed due to overlapping periods counted twice for concurrent sentences.
• The Court rejected the claim for jail-earned remission, noting that the 2022 judgment did not convert the life sentences into fixed-term sentences.
• The Court stated that the sovereign assurance to Portugal fixes the outer limit of imprisonment but does not permit artificial or accelerated computation of custody.

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