The Supreme Court will give its verdict on Monday (5 August) on gangster Abu Salem's plea seeking an end to all trials against him, seeing that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will drop the 'additional charges' against him.
The underworld don is an accused in the Mumbai serial blasts of 1993. On 11 November, 2005, he was extradited from Portugal after a long legal battle.
India promised Portugal that 'no charges entailing death penalty or imprisonment of more than 25 years would be pressed against Salem', but the CBI brought in such 'additional charges' later.
The gangster filed a petition in Portuguese Supreme Court of Justice, which pronounced a 'breach of the undertaking given by India' in September last year, reported PTI.
The CBI challenged the court verdict, but the agency's plea was dismissed.
Salem then appealed in the TADA court to close the trial against him, but the SC quashed his plea on 31 January.
In the 9 July hearing, headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, the SC deferred the verdict to 5 August citing CBI's submission that it will drop those 'additional charges' against Salem. The agency will withdraw the charges under Sections 5 and 6 of TADA and sections 4(b) and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, reported the news agency.
The 45-year-old gangster is currently lodged in Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail. Last week, he had also appealed for authorities to shift him to Portuguese Embassy in Goa or Delhi.
"The applicant (Salem) may be transferred to Portugal Embassy till the final decision is reached on the issue of his repatriation back to Portugal post termination of Extradition order in the interest of justice," his advocate Rashid Ansari told PTI. Salem's application will also be heard by the TADA court this week.
