SC to Hear Yakub Memon's Plea Challenging his Death Warrant on 27 July

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear 1993 Mumbai serial bombings convict Yakub Memon's plea challenging the death warrant issued against him by a special Tada court in Mumbai and seeking stay on his hanging scheduled on 30 July.

Senior counsel TR Andhyarujina approached the top court to seek date for hearing Memon's plea. The SC has posted the matter for hearing on 27 July.

"I have already assigned the bench. It will come by Monday," IANS quoted Chief Justice HL Dattu as saying.

Earlier, the sole convict on death row in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case had on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging his hanging on 30 July, on the claims that he has not exhausted all the legal remedies available to him.

In his petition, Memon claimed that the death warrant issued by the TADA court in Mumbai is illegal as it was issued even before he had exhausted all the legal options available with him. He said that according to several ruling of the SC, a covict cannot be awarded death sentence until he has exhausted all his legal options, The Indian Express reports.

Memon said that the TADA court announced the death sentence at the time his curative petition was pending with the SC. He said his execution scheduled on next Thursday is invalid as the ruling was against the law.

He further claimed that he cannot be hanged when his mercy plea with the Maharashtra Governor is still pending and executing him before a decision on his plea would be illegal, PTI reports.

Memon had approached the Maharastra Governor pleading for mercy on Tuesday, soon after the top court rejected his curative petition. He had sought commutation of his death sentence claiming that a convict cannot be awarded life term and the extreme penalty simultaneously for the same offence, PTI reports. 

He also claimed that he was suffering from schizophrenia since 1996 and remained behind the bars for nearly 20 years.

Memon was sentenced to death for arranging finances for carrying out the 13 serial explosions across the city on 12 March, 1993, in which 257 people were killed and over 700 injured.