MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has opposed a plea filed by gangster Abu Salem, a convict in the March 1993 Mumbai serial bombings case, seeking 14 days of emergency parole to attend a prayer ceremony 40 days after his brother’s death on November 14, 2025.
The government told the Bombay High Court that Salem will abscond if released on parole. Moreover, the government said, based on a report from the Uttar Pradesh police, the 64-year-old gangster’s native place, Saraymir, is a communally sensitive area, and releasing him “could potentially disturb the peace and tranquillity of the region”.
On March 12, 1993, a dozen powerful bombs went off in the city, in quick succession, killing 257 people and injuring around 1,400 others. Salem, currently lodged in the Nashik central prison, is one of the convicts in the case.
In his petition, Salem said he had earlier applied for regular parole when his brother, Abu Hakim Ansari, was unwell for nearly three months. However, the application allegedly remained pending, and his brother died before any decision was taken.
During the hearing, on Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Shyam Chandak, that it is the prosecuting agency and therefore should be impleaded as a party in the plea. “If Salem is granted bail, then law and order problems may arise”, the CBI said. The bench said it would hear the plea on January 28.
Claiming that the delay in granting him parole was “purposeful”, Salem said he had approached prison authorities on receiving news of his brother’s death, seeking emergency parole to travel to Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, to attend the 40th-day prayers, Quran Khwani and other religious ceremonies, and to offer condolences to family members. The application was rejected on November 20 on the ground that the surety proposed by him was not proper, following which he approached the additional director general of police.
On December 5, the deputy inspector general (DIG) of prisons directed the jail authorities to grant Salem a two-day parole with an escort party. Challenging this order, Salem moved the high court through advocate Farhana Shah, contending that he was unable to bear the escort charges, which would run into lakhs of rupees, as he has been incarcerated for decades and has no source of income.
In an affidavit filed on January 18, Suhas M Warke, the additional director general of police and inspector general of prisons and correctional services, said that after the 1993 blasts case, Salem had left the country and absconded to evade arrest. He is an international gangster and was declared a proclaimed offender on September 15, 1993, the affidavit said.
It highlighted that after Salem was arrested in Lisbon, in Spain, he was convicted by a Portuguese court on September 18, 2002, for travelling on a fake passport. Based on the assurance given by the Government of India, the Portuguese government extradited Salem to India. He was then convicted in various cases and is serving a life term.
Salem’s parole application was forwarded to the Saraymir Police Station in Azamgarh, on November 15, 2025, to obtain the necessary police inquiry report. The affidavit said the police inspector of the Saraymir police station had submitted an adverse report, suggesting that Salem not be released on parole.
The report said Saraymir is a communally sensitive area, and releasing Salem “could potentially disturb the peace and tranquillity of the region”. Considering this, Salem’s application was rejected on November 20. However, he was later granted a two-day parole, with his day of travelling to and from Ajamgarh to be counted towards his sentence.
“Considering his history, the two-day parole with an escort party is an appropriate order. The Government of India is under obligation to stick by the assurance given by the Government of India to the Portugal Government and if Salem absconds, there will be serious issues between the two governments as well as threat to the society,” the affidavit concluded.