Abu Salem will flee if granted parole: Maharashtra govt tells HC
Mumbai (PTI): Gangster Abu Salem will abscond if granted parole and this could cause serious issues between India and Portugal, the country from where he was extradited, the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Tuesday.
The government, in an affidavit filed before the court, opposed Salem's petition seeking 14 days of parole, citing his elder brother's death, and said that at the most, he can be granted two days' emergency parole.
When the plea came up for hearing before a bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Shyam Chandak, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it was the prosecuting agency and hence, it should be impleaded as a respondent in the petition.
If Salem is granted bail, then it would lead to law and order problems, the CBI said.
The bench said it would hear the plea on January 28.
The affidavit, filed by Inspector General of Prisons Suhas Warke, 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.
"If the petitioner (Salem) is granted parole, then he will abscond again, as even in 1993 he fled the country," the affidavit pointed out.
It further said the Government of India is under an obligation to stick to the conditions and assurances given by it to the Government of Portugal at the time of Salem's extradition.
"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. He was arrested in Lisbon, Portugal, and extradited to India in November 2005.
As per the affidavit, after Salem sought parole from the jail authorities, a report was sought from the Uttar Pradesh police, where he intends to travel.
The UP police submitted an adverse report and said the place Saraymir in Azamgarh, where Salem wants to go, was a communally sensitive area. Hence, Salem's 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.
In 1993, Salem fled India to evade arrest, the affidavit claimed.
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 Salem's 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.
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CBCI seeks repeal of ‘forcible conversion’ laws, cites rights violations
Bengaluru (PTI): The CBCI on Tuesday strongly demanded that the Centre repeal legislations it said were "inconsistent with religious freedom and the right to privacy", alleging that many innocent individuals were being incarcerated on "unfounded allegations of forcible conversions".
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India cited Article 25 of the Constitution, stating that it guarantees that "all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion."
The CBCI concluded its 37th general body meeting on February 10. During the week-long conclave, which began on February 4, it also elected Cardinal Poola Anthony, Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad, as its new president.
"As many innocent individuals are incarcerated on unfounded allegations of forcible religious conversions, we strongly demand the repeal of legislation that is inconsistent with religious freedom and the right to privacy," the CBCI said in a statement.
Recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s contribution to nation-building, the CBCI said his entire life was devoted to shaping "an India in which the people shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice, an India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people."
The CBCI alleged that the denial of rights to Dalit Christians has continued for decades as an indirect form of discrimination, despite repeated appeals for equality and justice.
"We express our concern over the denial of rights to minorities, as such acts weaken the democratic fabric of our society," it said.
"While maintaining our commitment to eliminate any form of discrimination within ecclesial communities based on caste or language, we urge the government to ensure that no citizen is denied fundamental rights to equality and freedom," it said.
"At a time when freedom and human rights are increasingly disregarded, we reaffirm our faith in the Constitution of India, which envisions the country as a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic, and secures to all its citizens justice, liberty, equality and fraternity," the statement added.
Pointing out that constitutional rights are often "unjustly restricted, particularly concerning the poor, the marginalised, Dalits and tribal people," the CBCI said it was important to advocate for the protection of fundamental rights for all individuals, regardless of caste, creed or language.
Encouraging youth to participate actively in public life and democratic processes, the CBCI said, "It has become the need of the hour that our youngsters, as exemplary Christians and responsible citizens of India, actively engage in politics as a vocation to service."
"In a context of polarisation and mistrust, we uphold the Church’s calling to foster dialogue, reconciliation and fraternity. The Christian faith has always inspired us to seek the path of forgiveness whenever we have been deprived of human dignity and rights," it added.
