Bombay High Court Judge Justice Neela Gokhale Recuses From Hearing Mumbai Bomb Blast Convict Abu Salem's Plea Against Prison Transfer

Notably, the prison authorities had decided to shift Salem, who has spent over 15 years in the Taloja Jail, to some other prison in order to facilitate the reconstruction of the high security "Anda Cell."

The matter was listed before a division bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Neela Gokhale. However, when the matter was called out for hearing, Justice Gokhale said, "Not before me" and ordered the matter to be placed before an appropriate court.

Update: Division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande heard the matter on Thursday (July 4). However, since Abu Salem has been moved to Nashik Prison on the strnegth of a Sessions Court order, his counsel sought to amend the petition with a renewed prayer that he be shifted back to Taloja prison. The matter is now kept for July 11.

According to his plea, Salem is proposed to be shifted to some other jail in Maharashtra. He had challenged this decision of the prison authorities before the sessions court, which rejected his plea. He had then petitioned the High Court through his advocate Taraq Sayyad.

Salem has contended that shifting him to some other jail might be risky for his life as he has already been attacked twice in the Taloja Jail. The life term convict, in the alternative, sought to be shifted to some other barrack within the Taloja Jail itself.

The petition also contended that shifting him to some other jail would create hurdle in his regular travel to Delhi, where he has some cases pending.

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