Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon to be hanged as SC rejects his plea

The Supreme Court today dismissed a curative petition filed by Yakub Memon, the lone convict facing death sentence in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, paving the way for his hanging on 30 July.

A bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu dismissed Memon's plea saying there was no merit in it. The curative petition was dismissed in chamber without any lawyers presenting or opposing it.

The curative plea was Yakub Memon's last legal option to fight for life and the dismissal of the plea clears all hurdles in way of his execution. The 53-year-old would be hanged at 7 am in the Nagpur Central Jail on the scheduled day.

Memon, who was awarded death penalty by a Tada (Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act) court on 27 July 2007, had since moved the Supreme Court.

The SC had, on 10 April, rejected the petition filed by Memon seeking to stay the death sentence.

Memon, a former chartered accountant, is the brother of the prime accused in the case. Earlier, on 21 March 2013, the apex court had upheld the death sentence of Memon.

He has been lodged in a solitary cell in the high security Nagpur central jail ?since his conviction in 2006 by the TADA court.

A chartered accountant, Yakub is the younger brother of Tiger Memon, who along with Dawood Ibrahim masterminded the blasts and are absconding.

Yakub has been in custody since 1994.

Yakub's parents, his three brothers and sister-in-law also faced trial in the case.

While his wife, mother and brother Suleiman were acquitted, Yakub and two brothers Essa and Yusuf and sister-in-law Rubeena were convicted and sentenced.