India Govt likely to withdraw all additional charges against Salem

New Delhi, Feb 23 (PTI) The Indian government is likely to withdraw all additional charges against underworld don Abu Salem and inform Portuguese authorities about the same, official sources here said. The decision in principle was taken at meeting in the Ministry of Home Affairs where officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Law Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs also participated. The sources Wednesday said the Home Ministry had been declared as the nodal ministry to take a decision on this and also liaise with the police forces of Indian states where he is facing cases. It was decided that the Portuguese courts will be apprised about the recent Supreme Court of India's order which had clearly spelt that the order of the Portuguese court should be respected and also stayed proceedings under an old but now withdrawn anti terror law in two cases against Salem. Portugal's Supreme Court had recently upheld the order of a lower court there, terminating his extradition for "violation" of deportation rules by Indian authorities. At the time of Salem's extradition, India had assured Portugal that no charges attracting death penalty, or jail for more than 25 years would be pressed against him, but such charges were later brought in by Delhi Police and Mumbai Police. Salem, prime accused along with Dawood Ibrahim in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, and his girlfriend Monica Bedi were extradited to India on November 11, 2005, after a marathon legal process in Portugal lasting three years. The extradition of Salem, who was also wanted in various cases including the murder of noted film producer Gulshan Kumar, came after an assurance by the Indian government to Portugal that he would not be given death penalty, a key requirement in extradition proceedings in Europe. PTI