SC grants two weeks to Centre to take stand on Abu Salem

A bench headed by Justice P Sathasivam, granted the time after Attorney General G E Vahanwati submitted that government needs time to go through the judgement as the order is in Portuguese language and has to be first translated in English.

The bench had earlier asked the CBI and the Ministry of External Affairs to file their replies to Salem's plea for quashing criminal cases against him after termination of his extradition and also asked Attorney General to assist it in deciding the case.

Salem, currently lodged in Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail, had filed the application after the Portugal Supreme Court upheld the order of a lower court there, terminating his extradition for alleged "violation" of the terms of his deportation by Indian authorities.

At the time of Salem's extradition, India had assured Portugal that no charges attracting death penalty or imprisonment of more than 25 years would be pressed against him, but such charges were later brought in.

Delhi and Mumbai Police, however, had slapped charges which invoke death penalty against him leaving the government and the CBI red-faced.

Later, the police sought to withdraw those charges, but the Delhi High Court as well the Supreme Court did not allow it.