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Yakub Memon to be hanged on July 30 if mercy plea rejected
The Maharashtra government plans to hang Yakub Memon, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, at 7 am on July 30 if the Supreme Court turns down his mercy plea on July 21.
The Maharashtra government plans to hang Yakub Memon, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, at 7 am on July 30 if the Supreme Court turns down his mercy plea on July 21.
After the Supreme Court on April 9 rejected a review petition filed by Memon, the state started the process for execution by obtaining permission from the TADA court. Memon has filed a second review petition with the apex court, which is expected to come up on July 21.
President Pranab Mukherjee turned down Memon’s mercy plea last year.
“The decision on the review petition is expected on July 21. On our side, we have started the procedure,” said an official who did not wish to be named. The Supreme Court had upheld the death penalty for Memon and commuted the sentence of 11 other accused to life imprisonment.
“The order for the execution of Yakub was issued on Monday and sent to the superintendent of the Nagpur prison. The prison will prepare the entire procedure of the execution,” said a home department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The convict would be informed by jail authorities once they received the official order, sources said.
Vijay Satbir Singh, principal secretary in the home department, said, “I do not remember the details but the process has been started.”
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said that "We have started the process and he will be hanged as per SC directives. The apex court has directed us to not maintain secrecy in execution and hence we are informing his relatives. The pending review petition would not be a hindrance as it has not been admitted."
Memon, a chartered accountant, is the brother of fugitive terror mastermind Ibrahim Mushtaq 'Tiger’ Memon. According to the CBI, which investigated the case, Tiger Memon got Yakub involved in planning and plotting the serial blasts that killed 257 people and injured about 700 on March 12, 1993.
Yakub was sentenced to death by a designated TADA court in 2007, after it found him guilty of playing a key role in the criminal conspiracy. The CBI alleged the blasts were planned by Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and others.
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