Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon has filed a fresh mercy petition with the President and a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court has started hearing the plea of Yakub Memon on Wednesday.

The validity of the three-judge SC bench that heard curative petition, was questioned by R Ramachandran, Yakub's lawyer. Yakub is the solo death convict in 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

Petition seeking stay of execution on Tuesday

After an argument that lasted for an hour on Yakub's petition seeking stay of execution, on Tuesday, the two judges on the bench returned a split verdict. While Justice Dave dismissed Yakub's petition, Justice Joseph stayed the execution. Thus, Yakub
Memon was left hanging between hope and dejection.

It was reported that Justice Dave was requested by Justice Joseph to stay the execution until the new bench further orders. Denying the proposal, Justice Dave said that he will not be a party to such an order.

The matter was referred to the Chief Justice of India by the bench for a new hearing by an umpire bench. The matter was then entrusted to bench of Justices Dipak Misra, P C Pant and Amitava Roy by the Chief Justice H L Dattu.

Yakub Memon’s Claims

In his plea, Memon has claimed his suffering from schizophrenia since 1996 and being behind bars for more than 20 years, more than a person serving life term in jail. Challenging that a convict cannot take death sentence and life term jail for the same offence, Yakub Memon filed a petition.

On March 12, 1993, Bombay was left with 257 dead and over 700 injured due to twelve coordinated blasts. The 53-year-old Yakub Memon is to be hanged on Thursday at a jail in Nagpur for his role in the deadly terror attack.

Yakub Memon hearing: Three-judge bench to pass judgment very soon.

Update: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Yakub Abdul Razak Memon's petition on death warrant. He will be executed tomorrow, 30 July 2015.

-Sumana