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SC reserves verdict on gangster Abu Salem’s plea challenging life sentence

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The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea by gangster Abu Salem claiming that, as per the extradition treaty between India and Portugal, his jail terms cannot extend beyond 25 years.

Advocate Rishi Malhotra, representing Abu Salem, contended before a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul that the assurance was given to the Portugal government by the Indian government, that Abu Salem will not be either awarded death penalty or punished beyond 25 years, but, he has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted in Mumbai serial bomb blasts.

The bench, also comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh, observed that the courts are not bound by the assurance given by the government, however the government may practice its executive power.

Malhotra submitted that Abu Salem was in custody in Portugal since 2002, and he was arrested following a ‘Red Corner Notice’. He added that extradition process started in 2003 and went for almost 2 years — and in 2005, he was handed over to India.

At this, the bench queried the Central government as to what would be the starting point of Abu Salem’s detention.

Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, representing the Central government, said it will start by the time, when “we took him into custody and for the part of assurance, we’ll consider it but on the part of the judiciary, it can be decided independently”.

After hearing detailed arguments in the matter, the top court reserved its order on Salem’s plea.

On April 21, the Supreme Court had strongly objected to some statements made by the Union Home Secretary, in an affidavit on honouring assurance made to Portugal during Abu Salem’s extradition, saying the judiciary does not need “lecturing” from the Home Secretary in the matter.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla had told the court that the Indian government is bound by its assurance given to the Portugal government during the extradition of Abu Salem but the question of honouring its assurance will arise only when the period of 25 years is to expire.

“The government of India gave an assurance vide letter dated December 17, 2002, to the government of Portugal. This assurance is an executive assurance given by one country to other in the exercise of their executive functions.

“The period of 25 years which is mentioned in the assurance will be abided by the Union of India at an appropriate time subject to the remedies which may be available. The question of the Union of India honouring its assurance dated December 17, 2002, will arise only when the period of 25 years is to expire. This date is November 10, 2030,” he had said in the affidavit.

The affidavit said before this date, the convict cannot raise any arguments based on the assurance, therefore the contention of the petitioner about non-compliance of assurance is premature and based on hypothetical surmises and can never be raised in present proceedings.

“The government of India will abide by the said assurance….subject to the rights which may be available at that stage. The attempt of convict-appellant to club that assurance with merits of the present case is legally untenable as the appeals need to be decided in accordance with Section 19 of the TADA read with other provisions governing criminal procedure,” said the affidavit.

Crime

Mumbai Crime News: Ola Driver Stabbed To Death In Malad After Clash With Illegal Parking Mafia

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Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a 27-year-old Ola driver, Sahil Gujjar, was brutally stabbed to death late Saturday night after an altercation with members of the illegal parking mafia in Malad.

The incident took place on Lagoon Road near Plot No. 50 in Malwani, where Gujjar had gone to return his rented car. According to police sources, a heated dispute erupted between the car owner and a man who was running an unauthorized parking operation in the area. When Gujjar tried to intervene, the situation escalated.

The accused reportedly called in reinforcements, and within minutes, nearly 10 to 15 men surrounded and attacked Gujjar. Amid the violent scuffle, he was stabbed in the stomach. Passersby rushed him to Shatabdi Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Sunday.

The Malwani Police have registered a case of murder and are identifying those involved in the attack. Police teams are scanning CCTV footage and conducting raids to track down the accused.

Similar Incident

In another incident, a 32-year-old man was killed in Sakinaka after a quarrel over parking escalated into a brutal assault. The incident had raised concerns about the unchecked operations of parking mafias across the city, often operating under the radar in busy residential and commercial zones.

The Malad case has once again highlighted the growing menace of such mafias and the urgent need for stricter policing. Residents have demanded that authorities crack down on unauthorized parking operators, warning that unchecked turf wars are putting ordinary citizens at risk.

Police said investigations are ongoing, and multiple teams have been deployed to arrest the accused at the earliest.

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Crime

Mumbai Customs Arrest Two Passengers With 8.5 Kg Hydroponic Weed Worth ₹8.56 Crore From Bangkok

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Mumbai: The Mumbai airport customs officials arrested two passengers for allegedly smuggling hydroponic weed worth Rs8.56 crore from Bangkok. The accused, Mohammad Swail, 23, and Sameer Khan, 21, both residents of Uttar Pradesh, were intercepted on Saturday while crossing the green channel at T2, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, based on spot profiling.

Passengers Admit Possession of Hydroponic Weed

On searching their baggage, customs officers recovered packets containing green dry leafy substance, identified as flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant, commonly called Hydroponic Weed, covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act. A total of 8,562 grams of weed was seized. During questioning, both admitted knowledge, possession, concealment, and recovery of the narcotics. Investigations also revealed the involvement of other persons who are yet to be traced.

A customs official said efforts are underway to identify associates and determine who was to receive the consignment. Advocates Prabhakar Tripathi and Shubham Upadhyay argued in court that the accused were misled into carrying the baggage, believing it contained food items, and had no knowledge of the concealed drugs. Both were remanded to judicial custody.

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Crime

32-Year-Old Man Arrested For Hoax Bomb Threat To Mumbai Police Control Room; Suspect Was Drunk & Had Past Record Of Similar Calls

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Mumbai: Panic gripped the Mumbai Police force on Thursday evening after the control room received a call from an unidentified person claiming that a bomb would be detonated inside a suburban local train — the city’s lifeline. Within hours, the Azad Maidan police special team traced and arrested the caller, identified as Suraj Dharma Jadhav (32), from Kalina, Santacruz.

According to police officials, Jadhav, who is addicted to alcohol, has a past record of making similar hoax bomb threat calls to the police.

About The Case

On Thursday, after consuming liquor, he allegedly phoned the police control room and declared that he would trigger a blast in a suburban train before abruptly disconnecting the call. When police dialed back, the number was found switched off.

With Independence Day around the corner, senior police officials took the threat very seriously and directed the local police, Railway Police, and the Crime Branch to conduct immediate checks. Security was tightened across railway stations, with increased deployment, baggage checks, and inspection of suspicious individuals. However, no suspicious object was found.

Investigators traced the call to Kalina and picked up Jadhav for questioning. During interrogation, he confessed to making the hoax bomb threat. Police revealed that he had earlier been arrested for a similar offense and was out on bail. Despite having been bound down previously under preventive action by the Assistant Commissioner of Police’s office, Jadhav repeated the offense. Authorities have now warned that stricter action will be taken if he violates the bond conditions again.

Meanwhile, the Railway Police Force (RPF) and local police continued heightened vigilance at key stations following the threat.

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