MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday rejected 1993 serial blasts convict Abu Salem ’s plea for parole to get married to Mumbra resident Kausar Bahar. “Salem has been convicted in two cases under the TADA Act. It means he has been convicted in two cases for terrorist activities,” said a division bench of acting Chief Justice Vijaya Kapse Tahilramani and Justice Mahesh Sonak.

The bench said that in light of the nature of Salem’s conviction and rules enacted by the state, it was not inclined to interfere with authorities’ order to reject his parole application. Salem, lodged in Taloja jail, claimed to have married Kausar on phone during a train journey in 2014 when he was being taken to Lucknow for a court hearing.

Kausar subsequently filed an application at a local court threatening to kill herself if she was not granted permission to marry Salem. A convict can apply for parole for 30 days for emergencies such as illness or death of a family member.

In 2016, the state government barred persons convicted in terror cases from availing of parole or furlough.

