Maharashtra Minority Commission Defends Gangster Abu Salem Prison Meeting, Says Visit Was Official And Scheduled

Mumbai, September 10, 2026: The Maharashtra State Minority Commission has defended its interaction with jailed gangster Abu Salem at Nashik Road Central Prison on September 8, saying the meeting took place during an “official and scheduled inspection” of the prison.

The response came after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut criticised the interaction between Commission Chairman Pyare Khan, other members of the body and Salem, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

Raut questioned the state government's decision to appoint Khan as chairman and objected to the head of a government body interacting with Salem in prison.

Commission Defends Prison Visit

In a response on Thursday, Salem Wasim Khwajabhai Burhan, a member of the Commission, said Salem, like other inmates, had placed his difficulties and grievances before the Commission during the inspection. Hearing the concerns of inmates was part of the Commission's statutory functioning, he said.

Burhan said Khan, other Commission members and the department secretary were present during the visit. He said Raut's criticism did not take into account the circumstances of the visit, the Commission's statutory role and its jurisdiction.

“Giving a political colour to the statutory duties of the Commission is not appropriate,” Burhan said.

He added that the interaction should not be construed as support for, agreement with or endorsement of Salem's actions. The Commission had neither taken any decision nor intervened in connection with the matter raised by Salem, Burhan claimed, adding that it had only heard his concerns during the official inspection.

Supreme Court Rejects Salem's Plea

The Commission's defence came on the day the Supreme Court dismissed Salem's plea seeking premature release. Salem had contended that his earned prison remission and the period spent in custody as an undertrial should be counted towards the 25-year imprisonment cap arising from assurances given to Portugal during his extradition.

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The court's decision means Salem cannot be released before 2030. The Supreme Court had earlier clarified that the 25-year period began only when he was handed over to Indian authorities in November 2005.

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