Supreme Court Dismisses Yakub’s Plea For Staying Death Sentence

29 July, New Delhi

Setting the clock ticking, the Supreme Court today refused to stay the execution of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon.

The execution is slated at Nagpur Central Jail at 0700 hrs tomorrow, Thursday .

A three-Judge bench of Justices Deepak Mishra, Amitabh Ray and Prafulla Chandra Pant dismissed the petition filed by Yakub Memon, seeking to stay his execution citing technical grounds.

The court said there was no illegality and violation of due process in the death warrant. Chief Justice of India HL Dattu had constituted a larger bench to hear Memon’s plea, after a split verdict yesterday by Justices Anil R Dave and Kurian Joseph.

The Bench in its order said that the issue of death warrant of Memon is in order, stating that it does not find fault with the issuance of death warrant by TADA court.

The Bench also noted that after the rejection of mercy petition by the President, Memon had not challenged that in the court of law.

The Apex Court held that the dismissal of Memon’s curative petition by three senior most judges of the apex court was correct.

The Apex Court said that Memon failed to make out a case that mandatory 14 days time was not conveyed to him for execution by the state government.

Earlier in the day, Yakub appealed to the President for mercy, for the second time. According to official sources, the President has sent Yakub’s fresh mercy plea to the Union Home Ministry.

Sources said hectic consultations were on late in the evening on the issue with Law Secretary P K Malhotra holding discussions with Home Secretary L C Goyal apparently on the issue.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao too dismissed his mercy plea today.

In another development, a medical test of Yakub Memon was also conducted today. According to the report, Yakub is mentally and physically fit for hanging.