President refers Yakub's mercy plea to MHA

Memon, scheduled to be hanged to death in Nagpur Jail tomorrow, sent a fresh clemency plea to the President today

President Pranab Mukherjee today sent the fresh mercy petition of 1993 Mumbai-blast accused Yakub Memon--filed today as a last ditch attempt to escape the gallows--to the Home Ministry.

Memon, who is scheduled to be hanged to death in Nagpur Jail tomorrow at 7 AM, sent a fresh clemency plea to the President today.

Sources said the Ministry is likely to advise the President about the legal position as the Supreme Court today refused to stay the execution and Maharashtra Governor also rejected his mercy petition.

President had rejected Yakub's mercy petition on April 11, 2014 which was communicated to him on May 26, 2014.

A three-judge apex court bench headed by Chief Justice had on July 21 rejected Memon's curative petition contending that the grounds raised by him for relief did not fall within principles laid down by the Supreme Court in 2002 in deciding curative pleas.

Memon had claimed he was suffering from schizophrenia since 1996 and has remained behind bars for nearly 20 years, much more than a person serving life term has to spend in jail.

12 coordinated blasts had rocked Bombay, as the city was then known, on March 12, 1993, leaving 257 dead and over 700 injured.