Convict in 1993 Mumbai blasts loses final appeal
The Supreme Court of India has rejected an appeal by Yakub Memon, the only person to be condemned to death for a series of deadly bombings in Mumbai in 1993 that claimed the lives of over 250 people.
The high court quashed the last-minute appeal by Memon on Tuesday, clearing the way for his execution after spending two decades in prison.
Local media reports say Memon would be hanged on July 30.
Memon denied involvement in the serial explosions at his trial, which lasted for several years. He was the only one in a group of 11 convicts in connection with the bombings to have his death sentence upheld. The penalties for the others were earlier commuted to life imprisonment.
At least 257 people were killed in the blasts that targeted the Stock Exchange, the offices of Air India and a luxury hotel in Mumbai on March 12, 1993.
Indian security sources allege that the bomb attacks were carried out in retaliation for anti-Muslim violence that had killed more than 1,000 people. The violence erupted as some Hindu extremists destroyed an ancient mosque in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya in 1992.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Indian high court decision, Divya Iyer, the research manager at Amnesty International India, said the rejection of Memon's appeal was a "disappointing and regressive step."
"Serious questions have also been raised regarding Yakub Memon's execution and whether it is guided by political motivations," said Iyer, adding, "Lawmakers in India often find it convenient to hold up capital punishment as a symbol of their resolve to tackle crime, and choose to ignore more difficult and effective solutions like improving investigations, prosecutions and care for victims' families."
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