The Bombay High Court has rejected Abu Salem's plea for immediate release from jail, citing that he has yet to complete his actual 25-year prison term in the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings case.
A bench of justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata stated that Ansari's petition was premature, as he had not completed the required prison term.
Ansari's lawyer, Farhana Shah, argued that the Supreme Court had previously upheld his client's plea that he cannot be sentenced to over 25 years in view of the assurance given to Portugal, where he was extradited from.
However, the central and state governments contested the petition, stating that Ansari had served only 19-and-a-half years until March 2025.
The central government filed an affidavit in May 2025, claiming that Ansari's calculation was incorrect and that he would be released in November 2030, marking the end of his 25-year sentence.
Inspector general (prisons and correctional services) Suhas Warke stated that Ansari has been convicted for life imprisonment in different and serious cases and that his prison term until March 31, 2025, accounted for only 19 years, five months, and 18 days.
