Mumbai, Jan 6 (IANS) Underworld don Abu Salem has approached the Bombay High Court seeking emergency parole following the death of his elder brother, Abu Hakim Ansari.

Abu Salem has requested permission to travel to Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh to participate in family and religious rituals.

According to the petition filed on his behalf, Abu Salem’s elder brother, Abu Hakim Ansari, passed away on November 14, 2025. Describing his elder brother as a father figure, Salem said he wishes to attend the 40th-day rituals, take part in Quran recitation, offer prayers at the cemetery, and meet family members.

The petition states that Abu Salem had earlier applied for parole when his brother was critically ill, but the plea could not be heard in time due to legal procedures and court holidays.

Following his brother’s death, he again approached the court on December 1 seeking emergency parole on humanitarian grounds. He was allowed parole with an escort party, but Abu Salem said he had no money to bear that cost.

Appearing for Abu Salem, advocate Farhana Shah submitted that the application was filed within time, but the hearing could not take place due to the Bombay High Court’s winter vacation. The court, however, observed that as per Muslim tradition, the 40-day period had already elapsed.

The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Justices A.S. Gadkari and Shyam C. Chandak. The High Court is yet to decide whether Abu Salem will be granted emergency parole.

Abu Salem is currently lodged in Nashik Central Jail. He was earlier granted parole in 2009 and 2011 following the death of his mother and had surrendered on time on both occasions.

He has been in prison since 2005, after being convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in two cases — the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, which killed 257 people and injured over 1,400, and the 1995 murder of builder Pradeep Jain.

However, following his extradition from Portugal in 2005 under an extradition treaty, his sentence was later commuted to 25 years’ imprisonment.

Last year, Abu Salem had also moved the court seeking clarification on the completion of his 25-year prison term.

–IANS

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