National
Thanks to extradition treaty with Portugal, Abu Salem escapes the hangman’s noose
By Quaid Najmi
Mumbai, Sep 7 (IANS) As expected, notorious mafia gangster Abu Salem A. Ansari, 50, was spared the death penalty and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment by Special TADA court Judge G.A. Sanap on Thursday for his role in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
“As per the Extradition Treaty between India-Portugal, this is the maximum sentence permissible to him since the death penalty is banned in Portugal where he was first arrested,” Special Public Prosecutor Deepak Salve said after the verdict.
One of the important clauses in the treaty between India and Portugal for extradition of Salem was an assurance by New Delhi that he would not be sentenced to death.
Following this, Salem and his former actress girlfriend Monica Bedi – both arrested by the InterPol in Lisbon on September 20, 2002 – were finally cleared in February 2004 for extradition to India. The two were handed over to the Indian agencies in November 11, 2005.
He was wanted in India to face trial in the March 1993 blasts case which killed 257 and injured 700 plus, besides several other cases filed against him all over the country.
Nearly two years after he landed in India, the special TADA court in Mumbai filed eight charges against him and his accomplice Riyaz Siddiqui for their role in the Mumbai blasts case, including procuring the arms and ammunition from Pakistan to Gujarat and later dispatching them to Maharashtra’s Raigad.
In September 2011, after Indian authorities slapped fresh charges on Salem that could attract the death sentence, Portugal accused India of violating the extradition treaty conditions and revoked his deportation.
After the Lisbon High Court cancelled the deportation order, Portugal’s Supreme Court of Justice questioned the legal rights of the Indian authorities to challenge the cancellation of the extradition order.
In 2015, Salem had moved the Administrative Court in Portugal seeking direction to the Portuguese government to execute the order of that country’s apex court cancelling his extradition.
Inside the jails in Maharashtra, Salem barely remained out of the limelight, once when he was shot at by an inmate inside the Taloja Central Jail in Raigad on June 27, 2013, and on another occasion, when he was attacked by an inmate with a metal spoon inside the Arthur Road Central Jail, Mumbai in July 2010.
He survived both incidents with minor injuries, but left the jail authorities shaken.
There were reports that he lived a lavish lifestyle inside the jail. In 2015, a 26-year-old woman approached the special TADA court in Mumbai seeking permission to marry Salem. The two had reportedly met on a train while he was being taken to Uttar Pradesh in connection with a case.
Incidentally, shortly after Thursday’s verdict, through his lawyer, Salem moved an application before the Special TADA Court asking that he should be shifted to New Delhi as he apprehended threat to his life in Maharashtra jails.
Besides the March 1993 Mumbai blasts case, Salem has already been sentenced to life in February 2015, in the builder Pradeep Jain’s murder case of March 7, 1995 at Juhu.
Earlier on Thursday, Special TADA Court Judge Sanap sentenced to death penalty two convicts, pronounced life sentences to two others, including Salem and 10 years jail to one accused in the Mumbai 1993 blasts case.
Mohammed Taher Merchant and Feroze Khan were sentenced to death for their role in the blasts.
Salem and Karimullah Khan were awarded lifers while a fifth convict Riyaz Siddiqui was given 10 years rigorous imprisonment.
All the six accused, including Mustafa Dossa, were pronounced guilty by the Special Court on June 16. Dossa, however died on June 28.
The much-awaited verdict on the quantum of sentencing came 24 years after the March 12, 1993 serial blasts and nearly 80 days after they were found guilty by the Special Court.
On a quiet afternoon of March 12, 1993, the country’s commercial capital was shattered by a series of 13 blasts in quick succession at various locations in the city and suburbs, creating the worst unprecedented mayhem in the country, killing 257 and injuring 700 others.
The prime targets included the Air India Building, Bombay Stock Exchange, Zaveri Bazar, then existing five star hotels, Hotel SeaRock and Hotel Juhu Centaur, and others leading to damage to public and private properties worth Rs 27 crore.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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