Mumbai, Aug 7 : The Bombay High Court on Tuesday rejected jailed gangster Abu Salem's plea for a 45-day parole to get married to his Thane-based girlfriend.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice V.K. Tahilramani and Justice M.S. Sonak declined the request on the ground that under the prison rules, those convicted under terror charges were not eligible either for furlough or parole.
Currently lodged in the Taloja Jail, Raigad, Salem moved the High Court after his earlier application for parole was rejected by the Konkan Divisional Commissioner (KDC) - the competent authority in such cases - in March on security grounds.
Through his lawyer Farhana Shah, he informed the High Court on Tuesday that the KDC had refused his application "without proper application of the mind" for his previously planned marriage on May 5.
Convicted for his role in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Salem had reportedly married' his girlfriend, Heena alias Kausar Bahar, a resident of Mumbra town in Thane district.
Extradited from Portugal in November 2005, he claimed to have married Heena in 2014 over the phone while en route to Lucknow for a court case though she had made certain conflicting statements later.
He contended that he wanted to properly formalize his marriage with Heena by going to the registrar's office and needed parole for this.
Originally hailing from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Salem was convicted and sentence to life imprisonment for his role in the Mumbai serial blasts and other cases, besides being an accused in several other major cases, under trial in different parts of India.
In December 2014, he had complained to the Portugal authorities seeking cancellation of his deportation to India claiming that the extradition terms and conditions were allegedly violated.
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Bengaluru, Jan 25 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, requesting the release of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra River Project.
He also addressed a letter to Union Water Resources Minister C R Patil regarding the matter.
In the letter shared with the media on Saturday, the CM reminded them that during the 2023-24 Union Budget speech, Sitharaman had announced Rs 5,300 crore as central assistance for the Upper Bhadra Project.
In the letter sent separately, Siddaramaiah stated, "The inclusion process for the Upper Bhadra Project in the National Project Scheme has been delayed, and the progress of the project is being hindered due to the non-release of Central Assistance".
He emphasised that to accelerate the project's progress, it is crucial to release the Central Assistance already announced in the 2023-24 Union Budget.
Siddaramaiah explained that the ongoing Upper Bhadra Project in central Karnataka aims to provide irrigation to 2,25,515 hectares through drip irrigation in Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, and Davanagere districts. It also seeks to supply water for filling 367 minor irrigation lakes in these districts to aid groundwater recharge, using 29.90 TMC of water.
"The components of the project were initiated in 2008, and substantial progress has been made, with the State Government incurring an expenditure of Rs 10,121.75 crore so far," the CM said.
He also mentioned that the advisory committee of the Ministry of Water Resources had on December 24, 2020, approved the techno-economic viability of the Upper Bhadra Project.
The proposal for investment clearance of the project, amounting to Rs 16,125.48 crore, was also approved in the 15th Investment Clearance Committee meeting held on March 25, 2021.
Additionally, the High-Powered Steering Committee (HPSC) has already recommended the proposal for inclusion in the National Project Scheme, Siddaramaiah explained.
He further noted that the Public Investment Board (PIB), under the Chairmanship of the Finance Secretary and Secretary (Expenditure), Ministry of Finance, had also recommended the inclusion of the Upper Bhadra Project in the National Project Scheme during its meeting on December 12, 2022.