After the Supreme Court cleared the decks for the execution of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon on July 30, Justice (Retd) PD Kode — who had convicted and awarded capital punishment to Memon — welcomed the apex court’s ruling, saying that the development had come as a “solace” to the common Indians in general and Mumbaikars in particular.
Reacting to an order by an SC bench led by Chief Justice Hl Dattu rejecting Memon’s curative petition seeking to reconsider his capital punishment, Justice (retd) Kode said on Tuesday that the impending execution of the 1993 serial blasts case death row convict would send out a strong message to those engaged in organised crimes and acts of terrorism.
“It (the news of the rejection of Memon’s curative petition by the Supreme Court) comes as a solace to the common people of India in general and Mumbaikars in particular. This goes to prove that those engaged in organised crimes and acts of terrorism will have to pay their sins someday,” Justice (retd) Kode said.
Recalling the events of the Mumbai serial bombings, Kode said: “The perpetrators of the serial did not succeed in their main motive of crippling the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). They parked near the Air India the vehicles laden with explosives – meant for parking near the BSE. Had they parked the vehicles near the BSE, the entire stock exchange would have been smashed. Had such a thing happened, it would have been a major setback to the country”.
“That was a very huge operation, involving large quantities of RDX first time in India…it was for the first time people heard about RDX, landing of AK-56 and AK-47 rifles, huge funding, certain things they tried didn’t’ succeed like crippling of the BSE,” he said.
Justice Kode said that the serial blasts were a planned job. “There were several conspiracy meetings, there were landings of RDX and AK rifles, distribution, trips of reconnaissance, assembly of bombs and transfer of funds, before they executed serial bombings”.
Kode heaped praise on the meticulous manner in which Mumbai’s joint Commissioner of Police MN Singh and his senior colleague Rakesh Maria, who is the current Mumbai Police Commissioner, investigated the case swiftly and filed the chargesheet against the arrested accused in shortest possible time.
Yakub, who is the brother of the absconding 1993 Mumbai blasts’ mastermind Tiger Memon, was sentenced to death by the TADA court here on July 27, 2007.
Incidentally, Yakub will be the first convict to be hanged in connection with the serial blasts that rocked Mumbai on March 12, 1993. In all, 257 people were killed and 713 others injured. Property worth Rs27 crore was destroyed in the blasts.
‘Yakub Memon still optimistic’
Mumbai: Ahead of his execution scheduled for July 30, the death row convict Yakub Memon is still hoping against hope that he may somehow escape the gallows.
Talking to The Pioneer in the evening, Memon’s lawyer Shubail Farook said: “It is sad that the Supreme Court has dismissed the curative petition of my client...Ahead of the apex court’s ruling, I met Yakub in the Nagpur prison. He looked composed and optimistic... The Supreme Court rejecting Yakub’s curative petition is not end of the matter...We are looking at a few more legal remedies that would help Yakub to escape the gallows”.
Declining to spell out as to what were those legal remedies, Farook said: “I have briefed Yakub about the legal remedies available with us.. Once I get to hear from him, I will give it one more try.... I agree we are left with very little time”.
Farook has been representing Memon in the Supreme Court for the last seven years.
Hours after his curative petition was rejected by the Supreme Court, Yakub Memon reportedly filed a mercy petition before Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.
Sources said that since his first clemency plea was filed by his brother Suleiman Memon which was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee, the death row convict was planning to send another clemency petition signed by himself, to the President.