A former judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice (Retired) Fakhruddin, said Thursday that the Supreme Court has sent out a good message to the people of India that the law is uniform for all, irrespective of existing social prejudices or standing.
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Justice (Retired) Fakhruddin told ANI, "Yakub Memon got all the benefits of legal procedure. What the Supreme Court has done, will send a good message, that they had heard his (Memon's) mercy plea in the middle of the night. The Supreme Court has followed every step of the procedure. What could have been done in these circumstances, has been done."
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Earlier, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya, who is based in Mumbai, praised the Supreme Court for upholding its decision to go ahead with the death sentence of 1993 Mumbai blasts death row convict Yakub Memon.
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Talking to ANI here, Somaiya said, "Democracy (in India) is alive. The Supreme Court upheld its duty."
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Somaiya was speaking as security was beefed up around the Memon residence in Mumbai.
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Lawyer Abha Singh said that politicians and the political parties that they represent are dividing the nation by making irresponsible statements on the mercy plea of 1993 Mumbai blasts death row convict Yakub Memon.
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Abha Singh told ANI, "Listen, the mercy petition is the duty of Supreme Court, and, that is why they were forced to sit the entire night to deliberate on it. Politicians and political parties are trying to divide this nation, I think this was the reason why the Supreme Court didn't want to delay the death penalty. This will send a message against the terrorism."
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She further told ANI, "The way the preparations are going in Nagpur, it can be assumed that he will be hanged."
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"The Supreme Court has dismissed the mercy petition looking at the situation that is going on in our country, like the attack in Gurdaspur."
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Singh's came following an unprecedented middle of the night hearing by the Supreme Court, which dismissed Yakub Memon's last ditch plea seeking a stay on his execution.
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Yakub Memon was hanged at the Nagpur Central Jail a little after 6.30 a.m. today.
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A three-member bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Prafulla C Pant and Justice Amitava Roy had heard Yakub Memon's plea against his execution, and Justice Dipak Misra said, "We don't think in a case of this nature, granting further time is necessary."
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He had stated that the execution warrant was communicated to Yakub Memon on July 13, 2015 and ample opportunity was given to him to present his case.
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"Petitioner Yakub Memon never disowned the mercy petition filed by his brother. Review petition for Yakub Memon was heard for 10 days when the law mandates that only half hour has to be given," he added.
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Yakub Memon's lawyer Anand Grover said the former should have got 14 days to challenge the rejection of his mercy plea by the President, but Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi stated that if mercy petitions are filed over and over again, death warrants will never be executed.
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President Pranab Mukherjee had earlier rejected Yakub Memon's mercy plea.
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The Supreme Court had also rejected his curative petition on his death warrant on Wednesday.
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The apex court said proper procedure was followed in disposing of Yakub's curative petition.