MUMBAI, July 12:
After the prosecution sought life sentence for the 1993 blast convict and extradited gangster Abu Salem, the defence lawyer today urged the designated TADA court to consider his undertrial period of eight years as his conviction period and released him from the jail.
Concluding his arguments Salem’s lawyer said Indian courts have to recognise and uphold the Government’s assurance that Salem could not be jailed for more than 25 years as the assurance was given by the Indian Government to Portugal while extraditing Salem.
He added that according to the government’s assurance, Salem could not be jailed for more than 25 years. He also sought minimum punishment for Salem stating that his role alleged by the prosecution was based on circumstantial evidence.
He said Salem’s role should be considered as par with other convicts who played similar roles in the blast. He compared Salem’s case with Mansoor Ahmed Sayyed Ahmed and Ibrahim alias Baba Musa Chouhan who were sentenced to 10 years in jail each.
Ahmed had gone to actor Sanjay Dutt’s house with Abu Salem while Chouhan had supplied weapons to the actor. The lawyer also cited Samir Hingora’s example who was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment for organising a AK-56 gun for Dutt.
Meanwhile, special public prosecutor Deepak Salvi has sought a lifetime imprisonment for Salem.
He said Salem deserved nothing but death for transporting a car full of ammunition from Bharuch to Mumbai. (UNI)
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