Gangster Abu Salem and his driver Mehendi Hasan were sentenced life imprisonment in the murder of builder Pradeep Jain in 1995 by a Special TADA Court. The judgment came after the duo were convicted in the crime and prosecution, defensive presented their extensive argument before the court. The prosecution lawyer asked the court to award life term imprisonment until the end of Abu Salem's life ends while the defence lawyers asked the court to grant only 25 years sentence in all the nine cases in which he was charged.

Naeem Khan one of the accused who plotted the conspiracy along with Abu Salem and Mehendi Hasan  in October 1994, was the strong evidence in the case. This judgment is a major jolt to the Dawood Ibrahim gang and the verdict also cannot be appealed in the same court or Bombay High Court. Abu Salem is expected to approach the Supreme Court of India, however there are minimal chances to revoke the sentence.

In 2005, Abu Salem was captured in Portugal and the understanding between the two countries made him to land in India. The Indian government had given an undertaking to Portugal government that Salem will get neither the capital punishment nor a sentence exceeding 25 years of jail. The judgment of TADA court has clearly ignored the understanding of India and Portugal. Salem fought many legal battles but this is the first case where he was convicted and was awarded a sentence that too for a life term.

- TVR