New Delhi:Â Â The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed plea of Yakub Memon, seeking review of death sentence awarded to him in 1993 Mumbai blasts case.
The court had held a open court hearing of the review plea filed by Memom.
The SC had – on March 21, 2013 – upheld the lower court order awarding death sentence. However, the apex court later in June 2014 stayed his execution, pending decision on Memom’s review plea. The apex court order paves the way for Memon’s execution.
President Pranab Mukherjee had also rejected Yakub’s mercy plea. The decision was taken by the President following recommendations of the Maharashtra government and the Home Ministry that the mercy petition of Yakub be rejected, a senior official had said.
ealing with case of Memon, a chartered accountant by profession and brother of proclaimed offender Tiger Memon, the court had said he was the “driving force” and a “mastermind” behind the blasts that rocked 12 crowded areas in Mumbai leaving 257 dead and over 700 injured.
The designated trial court under the repealed Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act had in 2006 held Memon guilty of criminal conspiracy and financing air tickets to send co-conspirators for arms and RDX training to Pakistan. The conviction was based almost entirely on retracted confessions of the approvers and other co-accused.
The bombings, police say, were carried out at the behest of gangster Dawood Ibrahim to avenge the destruction of an ancient mosque by Hindu zealots in 1992 and subsequent riots in which many Muslims were killed. A special anti-terrorism court had convicted 100 people in the attacks.
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