New Delhi: Underworld don Abu Salem's dream of contesting for the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh might not come true.
The CBI is set to curtail his political ambitions by citing the prison term served by him in Portugal before his extradition to India.
In a draft prepared by the agency, it would urge the home ministry to prevent Salem from contesting in the polls as he was convicted in Portugal and served a prison term of over three years in Lisbon.
Salem, one of the key accused in the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, has been in judicial custody since he was sent back from Lisbon on November 11, 2005 with his girl friend Monica Bedi.
However, it is still not clear whether Salem can be barred from contesting polls on the basis that he was convicted in Portugal. Under the law, no convicted person can contest elections.
Salem was arrested and convicted in Portugal for entering that country by using forged documents and for preventing a government official from performing his duty.
The CBI hopes that a debate on the issue starts before Salem files the nomination through the Rashtriya Samajwadi Party, which is formed by his counsel Ashok Sarogi.
"We applied to the (Election Commission) to form the party in August last year and we have just received approval for the same. The party will provide a fresh outlook for people who are tired of existing parties," PTI quoted Sarogi as saying.
The party, which has an "undisclosed number of members", will have a motorcycle as its symbol. It intends to contest at least 20 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, including Salem's hometown of Mubarakpur.
Comments
0 comment