Lisbon: In the midst of Indian efforts to get underworld don Abu Salem deported, a Lisbon court has ruled against such a possibility.

The court ruled against deporting Salem, the gangster accused of masterminding bombings in Mumbai in 1993 that killed or maimed hundreds of people, Lusa news agency reported.

India had requested the extradition of Salem, who was arrested by Interpol in Portugal on September 18 along with his girlfriend Monica Bedi and another man on charges of carrying fake travel documents.

Sixty murder cases are pending against 41-year-old Salem, who is alleged to have created bases in several countries including South Africa over the past nine years as a fugitive.