Abu Salem will flee if granted parole; strain diplomatic ties with Portugal: Maharashtra govt to HC

Mumbai, Jan 20 (PTI) The Maharashtra government on Tuesday opposed parole for gangster Abu Salem, informing the Bombay High Court that the 1993 blasts convict can abscond, leading to a diplomatic tension between India and Portugal.

Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in 2005, sought 14 days' parole to visit communally sensitive Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh following the death of his elder brother, Abu Hakim Ansari, in November 2025.

According to an affidavit filed before a division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Shyam Chandak, the state government stated that at the most, he can be granted two days' emergency parole.

"If the petitioner is granted parole, he will abscond again, as he did in 1993," Inspector General of Prisons Suhas Warke said in an affidavit submitted before the court.

It also stressed that if he escaped, it would cause "serious issues" between India and Portugal and pose a significant threat to society.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also intervened in the matter, requesting to be impleaded as a respondent, as it was the prosecuting agency.

The CBI echoed the state's concerns, asserting that Salem's release on parole, even temporarily, would lead to "law and order problems".

When the court questioned what law and order problems were apprehended, the advocate appearing for the agency sought time to take proper instructions.

The High Court then posted the matter for January 28.

The government, in its affidavit, said Salem was an international gangster who had been indulging in criminal activities for decades.

Salem was extradited from Portugal on an extradition treaty, along with other conditions agreed upon by both countries, it added.

The Government of India is under an obligation to stick to the conditions and assurances given by it to the Portuguese government at the time of Salem's extradition, the affidavit said.

"If the petitioner absconds now, then there will be serious issues between the two countries (India and Portugal) as well as a threat to society," the affidavit said.

In Portugal, Salem had been convicted of travelling on a fake passport.

According to the affidavit, after he sought parole from the jail authorities, a report was sought from the Uttar Pradesh police, where he intended to travel.

The UP police submitted an adverse report, stating that Saraymir in Azamgarh, where Salem wants to go, was a communally sensitive area.

The report further stated that Salem's presence in the area would cause law and order issues.

Hence, his request for 14 days' parole was rejected, the affidavit said.

Salem can be granted two days' parole, and the travel time will be counted towards his sentence, it said.

The affidavit claimed that in 1993, Salem fled India to evade arrest.

He has been sentenced to life imprisonment in three cases, including the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, and sentenced to 25 years in jail in several other cases.

Salem, in his plea filed last month, sought parole as his elder brother, Abu Hakim Ansari, passed away in November 2025. He had said his plea got delayed due to the court's Christmas vacation.

According to the plea, he had applied for an emergency 14-day parole from the jail authorities to attend the last rites and related rituals of his late brother on November 15 itself.

However, his plea was rejected by the jail authorities through an order on November 20, 2025.

Salem further pointed out that since his arrest in November 2005, he has been in jail and was only granted parole leaves of a few days after the death of his mother and also after the demise of his stepmother. PTI SP SKL GK ARU