How did you calculate 25 years from 2005? Supreme Court asks gangster Abu Salem

The Supreme Court on Monday questioned gangster Abu Salem over his claim of having completed a 25-year jail term in India, and asked how he was calculating the period since his arrest in November 2005. Salem, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, was extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005, after a prolonged legal battle.

Salem has said his sentence could not exceed 25 years as per the assurance given by India to Portugal for his extradition. “First of all, how do you calculate 25 years from 2005?” a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked the counsel appearing for Salem. During the hearing in the apex court, Salem’s counsel said that, as per the calculation, he has completed a 25-year jail term. “You were taken in actual custody on which date?” the bench asked. Salem is in jail for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

The assurance was given to Portugal that the gangster would not be handed down the death penalty or imprisonment for a term beyond 25 years.