Portugal's supreme court decision to allow extradition of underworld don Abu Salem to India has come as a shot-in-the-arm for the Central Bureau of Investigation, which has been following his case for the last three years.
With the new order, Salem can now be tried in India for small as well as for major offences in India.
Salem is wanted in the Mumbai serial blasts case.
He was arrested by the Portugal police on September 18, 2002 when he, along with his companion Monica Bedi, were found traveling with forged passports.
"This is a major victory for us, " a top CBI official told rediff.com on Friday after the news broke that the supreme court of Portugal had passed orders allowing the extradition of Salem to India.
The CBI had filed a petition in Portugal's supreme court after its high court ruled in favour of Salem and stayed the extradition for trail in the serial blasts cases.
"I would say that the ruling gives me personal satisfaction because I had been following the case on a day-to-day basis when I was director of CBI," P C Sharma, former CBI director told rediff.com.
Sharma has visited Portugal thrice in connection with the case.
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