India's Supreme Court rejects Abu Salem's early release plea

India Sep 15, 2026

The Supreme Court has turned down gangster Abu Salem's request to get out of prison early.

Salem argued he should be freed since India promised Portugal he wouldn't serve more than 25 years when he was extradited back in 2005.

But the judges made it clear: under Indian law, jail time before conviction can only count toward one of his sentences, not both.

Abu Salem's pre-conviction custody counts once

Salem was convicted in two separate terror cases after arriving from Portugal and tried to use his pre-conviction custody to shorten both sentences.

The court said that's not how it works, and also pointed out that the diplomatic promise to Portugal doesn't override Indian courts' decisions.

With all calculations done, Salem's probable release date is January 31, 2046.