Headlines
SC begins hearing on Memon's plea to stall execution
New Delhi, July 30
The Supreme Court has
commenced hearing on 1993 Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon's petition
seeking stay on the execution of his death sentence by 14 days.
If not stayed, the death sentence will be carried out on Thursday morning.
The
apex court bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Prafulla C.
Pant and Justice Amitava Roy are hearing a last ditch attempt by Memon
to get some reprieve from his near-imminent execution.
Perhaps
for the first time, in the early hours of Thursday, the Supreme Court is
hearing a petition seeking a stay on the execution of death sentence at
the court premises at such late hours of the night.
Memon's
mercy petition was earlier rejected by the president on Wednesday,
wherein, he raised fresh grounds for clemency -- commuting his death
sentence to life imprisonment.
Justice Dipak Misra headed the
three-judges bench of the Supreme Court which had on Wednesday rejected
Memon's plea seeking stay of his execution and quashing of the death
warrant.
Exercises were earlier are on for constituting a bench to hear a petition by Memon seeking postponement of his death sentence.
In
the early hours of Thursday, a senior registrar of Supreme Court
reached the residence of Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu in connection
with exercising related to the hearing of the petition.