India bomb plotter seeks stay of execution

AFP, NEW DELHI: A convicted bomb plotter due to be hanged next week lodged yesterday a last-ditch challenge with India’s top court, claiming his death warrant had been issued before all legal avenues to appeal were exhausted. The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a final appeal by Yakub Memon, who was convicted for plotting the 1993 Mumbai bomb attacks that killed hundreds, paving the way for his execution after more than two decades in jail.
But his lawyers lodged the last-ditch appeal saying his execution date of July 30 had been set in April, before this week’s Supreme Court verdict.
Eleven people have been convicted over the 1993 attacks, the deadliest in India’s history.
The Bombay Stock Exchange, the offices of Air India and a luxury hotel were among the targets of the March 1993 blasts, which killed 257 people in India’s commercial capital.
The attacks were believed to have been staged by Mumbai’s Muslim-dominated underworld in retaliation for anti-Muslim violence that killed more than 1,000 people.

India bomb plotter seeks stay of execution

AFP, NEW DELHI: A convicted bomb plotter due to be hanged next week lodged yesterday a last-ditch challenge with Indias top court, claiming his death warrant had been issued before all legal avenues to appeal were exhausted. The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a final appeal by Yakub Memon, who was convicted for plotting the 1993 Mumbai bomb attacks that killed hundreds, paving the way for his execution after more than two decades in jail. But his lawyers lodged the last-ditch appeal saying his execution date of July 30 had been set in April, before this weeks Supreme Court verdict. Eleven people have been convicted over the 1993 attacks, the deadliest in Indias history. The Bombay Stock Exchange, the offices of Air India and a luxury hotel were among the targets of the March 1993 blasts, which killed 257 people in Indias commercial capital. The attacks were believed to have been staged by Mumbais Muslim-dominated underworld in retaliation for anti-Muslim violence that killed more than 1,000 people.