1993 Bombay blasts : Yakub Memon set to be hanged on July 30

Unless the Supreme Court stays on July 21 the execution of Yakub Memon who was convicted and sentenced to death in the sensational 1993 Bombay blasts case, he is all set to be hanged till death at 7 am on July 30 in Nagpur Central Jail. It is learnt that a TADA court has issued a warrant to carry out the death sentence against convict Yakub Memon, 53, by hanging him till death at 7 am on July 30 in Nagpur Central Jail.

Memon, however, has moved a curative petition in the Supreme Court which will come up for hearing on July 21.

Yakub Memon was sentenced to death by hanging for charges of criminal conspiracy under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code by Judge P.D. Kode of the TADA court back in 2007.

In March last year, the Supreme Court had confirmed the death sentence awarded to Memon by a Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (prevention) Act court, holding him guilty of being the “driving spirit” behind the blasts that killed 257 people and over 700 others injured , while commuting the death sentence awarded to 10 others to life imprisonment till their death.

A three-judge bench led by Justice Anil R Dave had dismissed the review petition filed by Memon holding that there was no ground to interfere with the judgment confirming the capital punishment awarded to him.

The newspaper DNA, quoted sources as saying that the date and time of execution has already been approved by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and that all authorities including courts and local administration of Nagpur have also been apprised about it. Memon's family has also been informed. As per law, the convict and his family are to be informed 15 days prior to the date of execution.

DNA again quoting its sources in jail said Memon 's health has already been put on monitoring and so far it doesn't reveal any kind of physical or mental stress.

The Bombay blasts were India's first major, precisely coordinated serial explosions that claimed more than 260 lives and left around 700 injured. The serial bombings in Mumbai were apparently in the nature of ‘retributive justice’ for the rioting that took place after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The blasts however took the lives of innocent people who had nothing to with the riots.

President Pranab Mukherjee had in April rejected Memon’s mercy petition and the decision was left to the Maharashtra government for fixing the execution date.

Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, brother of fugitive terror mastermind Tiger Memon, has been behind bars since 1994, when the CBI purportedly arrested him from Kathmandu. If Yakub is hanged, it will be the first execution related to the 1993 serial blasts, in which over 250 people were killed.

According to the charges, key conspirators Tiger Memon, along with Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Anees Ibrahim, had called some of their trusted men, including Yakub, to Dubai between December 1992 and January 1993 to chalk out a plan to execute the serial blasts in Mumbai.

It was alleged that Memon had played a key role in the execution of the conspiracy. He was also accused of giving financial assistance to the terrorist activity. It was alleged that Memon had, through his contacts, arranged Rs 21.90 lakh for the execution of the plan.

The prosecution had alleged that the Memon family played an active role in the blasts and that their own vehicles were used to plant bombs. Yakub was also accused of distribution of arms and ammunition, detonators and explosives to other accused.

Memon's conviction and the awarding of the death penalty did not deter him from pursuing education. It may be interesting to note that while in prison, he acquired two post-graduate degrees from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). In 2013, Memon acquired a master’s degree in English literature, and next year, in political science.

Sentenced to death by a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) (Tada) court in 2007, Memon has all but exhausted his legal options in trying to escape the gallows and the curative petition filed by him before the Apex Court is his last throw of the dice to save himself from the gallows.