The Union Home Ministry has pulled up Delhi and Mumbai Police for slapping additional charges against underworld don Abu Salem.
NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has pulled up Delhi and Mumbai Police for slapping additional charges against underworld don Abu Salem after India was dragged into a legal battle in Portugal for breach of international commitment.
Salem's lawyer had approached the High Court in Portugal alleging that India, despite a commitment not to prosecute him either in any fresh case or under any new sections, had invoked fresh sections against him.
The High Court dismissed the application prompting his lawyer to approach the Portuguese Supreme Court, which upheld the plea and issued notice to the CBI through its lawyer.
The matter reached the CBI through diplomatic channels prompting the authorities to take it up with police departments concerned through the Union Home Ministry.
Abu Salem, an absconding accused in the serial bomb blast cases of Mumbai, was extradited to India from Portugal in three cases of CBI (Mumbai bomb blast case, passport cases of Lucknow and Hyderabad), four cases of Delhi Police (three extortion cases and one case of conspiracy to murder) and two cases of Mumbai Police (Pradip Jain murder case and Ajit Dewani murder case).
However, after his extradition, Mumbai and Delhi Police added additional charge under Maharashtra Control for Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) against Salem, which promptly was challenged by his lawyer in Portugal, sources said.
To save a diplomatic row, the two police forces were pulled up after a meeting was chaired by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta where it was decided to uphold New Delhi's international commitment.
While Delhi Police had already issued directions for withdrawal of any additional charge against Salem, Mumbai police was to follow the line of action soon.
India had given an executive assurance, passed by the then NDA cabinet, that Salem, upon extradition, shall not be tried with imprisonment exceeding 25 years.
Now the CBI would be sending a fresh report to Portugal through diplomatic channels assuring that all additional charges against Salem would be dropped and that all the international commitments would be met with.
Salem was extradited to India in November 2005.
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