In Brief
Abu Salem was a fugitive involved in the 1993 Bombay Bomb Blasts and extortion-related murder. Extradited from Portugal on India's assurance that his sentence would not exceed 25 years, he challenged his conviction and sought benefit of detention in Portugal to be set off against his Indian sentence. The Supreme Court held that while the Executive remains bound by its international commitment to limit his imprisonment to 25 years, courts must sentence according to law. Upon completion of 25 years, the Government must advise the President to exercise clemency. Foreign detention for unrelated offences cannot be set off under Indian law. The Court directed the Government to act within one month of the 25-year period's completion."
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