Mumbai: The CBI has told the special TADA court that the extradited gangster Abu Salem must deposit the fine imposed on him in earlier convictions with the court registry before the expiry of the 25-year term applicable to Salem’s incarceration.“In view of the said period of 25 years of imprisonment fixed by the Supreme Court, the said fine amount is required to be deposited before the completion of the said period of imprisonment,” the CBI said in a recent reply.The CBI said failure to clear the dues on or before Oct 12, 2030, would require Salem to undergo the alternate default sentences stipulated in the judgment.The response came after Salem, lodged in the high-security cell at Nashik Road central prison, moved the special TADA court seeking clarity on whether he is required to pay a total fine of Rs 16.51 lakh imposed in two convictions, or face an additional default sentence of 18 years and six months if the amount remains unpaid.Salem’s application, dated June 22, 2026, was filed nearly 11 years after the first conviction in the Pradip Jain murder case and almost a decade after the conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Authorities at Nashik Road central prison also approached the court for directions, stating that clarity was needed on the fine and the consequences of non-payment.In the plea, Salem said, “Whether the applicant is required to pay any amount of fine or he has to undergo sentence instead of the fine amount, because the jail authorities themselves are not aware of the fine proceeding. The present department is duty-bound to ensure that prisoner undergo their sentences…The applicant is praying this… court to give direction to the Jail authority about the fine amount whether it has to be paid by the applicant.”The special TADA court had directed the CBI, the investigating agency, to file a reply. In the response, the prosecution took the position that the fine cannot be treated as optional and must be deposited before the stipulated deadline, failing which Salem would be liable to serve the default sentence. “As the applicant (Salem) has approached this… court seeking a direction to the jail authorities about the fine amount, this…court may, in accordance with the prescribed procedure, direct the convict or accused to deposit the said amount with the registry of this… court,” the CBI submitted.
