The notorious gangster Abu Salem has been sentenced to life in prison for a murder he committed 20 years ago. The wheels of justice may have turned slowly but the verdict, under the stringent provisions of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, sends out a strong signal to the underworld. If he was not given the death penalty — and it might even have been a fit case considering his record — it was only due to India’s extradition agreement with Portugal which specifically forbade capital punishment.
India has succeeded after a long fight in a cause célèbre to bring Salem to book and then put him through due legal process before condemning him to a life in prison without parole after a Portuguese lower court even cancelled his extradition for a violation of deportation rules. It took 10 years for the process to reach fruition. India now must push for extradition treaties with as many countries as possible so that there is no easy escape route.
As a member of Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company, Salem is also a prime suspect in the 1993 Mumbai blasts that took more than 250 innocent lives. India should campaign around the world, and in the UN system, to make sure that even in a case of extradition there should be no bar on giving the maximum jail sentence. The criminal should not just be handed a sentence by a court, the sentence should also be carried out.
