1993 Mumbai blasts convict Abu Salem has approached the Bombay High Court to challenge his proposed transfer from Taloja Central Prison to another jail within Maharashtra. Salem, who has spent 15 years in the Anda Cell of Taloja Jail, is facing relocation to facilitate the reconstruction of the Anda Cell.
Salem, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1993 Mumbai blast case and the murder of builder Pradeep Jain, initially approached the Mumbai Sessions Court, which rejected his request. He has now taken his plea to the Bombay High Court through his lawyer, Taraq Sayyed, challenging the sessions court's decision. Notably, the Sessions Court directed the prison authorities not to shift Salem until July 3.
Salem's plea, which will be heard by the bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Neela Gokhale on July 3, argues that his jail transfer is "uncalled for and unwarranted" and claims it is tainted with malafide intentions. He pointed out that he has been attacked twice while in Taloja Central Prison and fears that the "same fate will follow" if he is transferred to another jail. Additionally, his plea highlights that he has two ongoing cases in Delhi, requiring him to travel regularly for trials.
The prison authorities had submitted earlier that the high security prison inside Taloja where Salem is lodged is in shambles and is in urgent need of repair. And so it is only for this reason that Salem was being shifted, India Today reported.