This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.

Supreme Court Dismisses 1993 Mumbai Serial Blasts Convict Yakub Memon's Curative Petition

Yakub Memon, 1993 Mumbai Serial Blasts Convict, To Be Hanged
BCCL

NEW DELHI -- The Supreme Court today dismissed 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts convict Yakub Memon's curative petition, who is on the death row. He is likely to be hanged by the end of the month.

The apex court today heard his petition and decided to go ahead with his execution. Memon is lodged in the Nagpur central jail, where he is likely to be hanged early morning on July 30.

Memon had met his cousin Usman and lawyer Anil Gedam yesterday at Nagpur jail ahead of his last attempt to escape the death penalty.

Memon was "100 percent sure" that his petition would be allowed, said his lawyer Shubail Farook to ANI. "We are not above what the Supreme Court decides," he said, adding that Memon has "tremendous faith and respect" in the Indian judiciary. "That is the reason why he came back to surrender to authorities."

He was sentenced to death eight years ago in the March 12, 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Justice (Retd) P D Kode, who was then the special judge of the court set up under Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in Mumbai, sentenced him.

"This is victory for the common man who keeps faith in law," said the retired justice to journalists following the SC decision. "I think there must be no substance found in the point kept forward by the accused."

Yakub Memon tried his best to save himself, but in the end truth & law won: Ujjwal Nikam, Senior Advocate pic.twitter.com/QlfgAEcz6n

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2015

Almost six years later, his death sentence was upheld by a Supreme Court bench headed by then Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan on March 21st, 2013. On April 9 this year, a three-member bench headed by Justice A R Dave rejected the his review plea.

President Pranab Mukherjee too had rejected his mercy petition.

An anti-terror court in Mumbai has issued a warrant to carry out the death sentence against 53-year-old Memon, accordingly which he will be hanged at 7 am on July 30 in Nagpur Central Jail.

This will be the first execution related to the 1993 serial blasts, in which over 250 people were killed.

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Majeed Memon, who is also a criminal lawyer, said that it wasn't surprising that the apex court had rejected the curative petition.

(with agency inputs)

Contact HuffPost India

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.