Overview
- Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed Salem to file Maharashtra prison regulations on remission and to substantiate his calculation that he has completed 25 years.
- The court questioned whether a TADA conviction allows any jail-earned remission, a point it said could be decisive for Salem’s plea.
- The case returns on February 9 after the bench gave Salem time to place the rules and records on file.
- Maharashtra has told courts that as of March 31, 2025, Salem had served 19 years, 5 months and 18 days, while a state proposal for his premature release remains under consideration.
- A 2022 Supreme Court ruling said the Centre must honor India’s 2002 assurance to Portugal by ensuring Salem’s release upon completion of 25 years, though how that period is computed is now disputed.