Abu Salem’s plea for parole to marry rejected again

Salem wants to marry Kausar Bahar, a resident of Mumbra area in Thane district. In his petition, Salem said he is lodged in jail since November 2005 and should be allowed to maintain family and social ties. Salem did not mention the date when he intends to marry.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to grant one-month parole to gangster Abu Salem that he wanted for getting married. Salem is currently serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts in Taloja Jail. Rejecting the petition, a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice V K Tahilramani and Justice M S Sonak observed Salem has been convicted on the serious charge of terrorism and hence cannot be released on parole.

Earlier in April this year too, Navi Mumbai Commissioner had rejected Salem’s plea seeking 45-day parole to get married for a second time to Sayed Bahar Kausar, a resident of Mumbra area in Thane district.

In his petition, Salem said he is lodged in jail since November 2005 and should be allowed to maintain family and social ties. Salem did not mention the date when he intends to marry.

The 1993 Mumbai blasts convict had said the parole request should be considered on “humanitarian grounds” as he cannot shun his duty towards the woman since he has promised to marry her, and that she also does not intend to marry anyone else.

Salem was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activity (TADA) Court last year for his role in the blasts in which 257 people were killed and 713 were injured. He is also serving life-term for the murder of city builder Pradeep Jain.

In June 2018, a Delhi court sentenced gangster Salem to seven years rigorous imprisonment for demanding Rs 5 crore as protection money from a Delhi-based businessman Ashok Gupta in 2002. It had convicted Salem in the case on May 26.