India, Feb. 19 -- Gangster Abu Salem, who was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, has approached the Bombay high court seeking an early release from prison, claiming he has already completed his 25-year sentence.

The 63-year-old's petition, filed on February 3, calculated his 25 years of imprisonment by including the time he spent as an undertrial, the time he had spent in a Portuguese prison before being extradited to India, and the remissions he had earned. Since he had completed his 25-year sentence, he should be released according to the terms of the extradition treaty between India and Portugal, and a Supreme Court order while commuting his life sentence, the petition added.

A division bench of justices Sarang Kotwal a...