MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government is planning to hang Yakub Memon, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, on July 30 if the Supreme Court turns down his mercy plea on July 21. The SC on April 9 had rejected Memon’s review petition against his death sentence. He has filed a second review petition in the SC in connection with the same case. The SC is likely to deliver verdict on this petition on July 21. President Pranab Mukherjee has already rejected Memon’s mercy plea. A Home Department official said that the date of Memon’s hanging has been announced 15 days before the execution as per the rules. He said that the documents relating to the execution have already been sent to the Central Jail in Nagpur, where he is lodged. Vijay Satbir Singh, Principal Secretary (Home), confirmed that the process to hang Memon has been initiated.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the government was following the SC guidelines in this regard. “We will take every action as per the rules laid down by the SC. We will let you know what the action will be,” he said. The Opposition, however, smells politics behind the government’s move. NCP MP and senior criminal lawyer Majeed Memon, who had defended many of the accused in the 1993 case, questioned the government’s ‘hurry’ in carrying out the execution. “The government appears to be interested in hanging him for political and communal reasons. It is sad if they believe that he should be executed early because he is a Muslim. They should wait till the matter is finally decided,” Memon said.