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Yakub Memon is hanged, 7 hours after turning 53

After over a week of hectic developments in his case, 1993 Bombay blasts convict Yakub Memon was hanged this morning.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Just 7 hours after he turned 53, Yakub Memon, convicted for his role in the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Bombay, was hanged to death in Nagpur Central Jail, Maharashtra.

This is the only execution in the case thus far. Yakub was convicted for financing the blasts. His brother and chief planner of the attacks, Tiger Memon, and mastermind Dawood Ibrahim, are still ‘missing’ in connection with the case.

In an unprecedented development late last night, a special bench heard an emergency mercy petition filed by Yakub’s brother, inside the Supreme Court premises till 2 am. However, the decision to execute Yakub Memon was upheld. Accordingly, Yakub was hanged at 7 am at Nagpur Central Jail, where he had been lodged for several years.

Read more about how the decision to hang Yakub was taken here and here.

(Picture courtesy www.sify.com)

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Enough said

The debate on Yakub Memon’s hanging

The execution of 1993 Bombay riots convict Yakub Menon raises the same questions every execution brings – and no answers.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

When the news about 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts convict Yakub Menon’s hanging broke recently, there were the usual reactions from all quarters. Some welcomed the execution, others condemned it. After all, Yakub was not the mastermind of the attacks – those men sit safe and sound in other parts of the world. Is he simply being made an example to other criminals plotting similar heinous terror attacks?

But then there are other questions that nobody every answers. For one, is hanging the only available punishment for criminals? Is it a good deterrent? Crime and prison statistics show that hanging has never had an appreciable effect on criminals. So whom does this exercise benefit?

Yakub is to be hanged at Nagpur Central Jail on July 30. Even as the date nears, as hectic last-minute appeals are being sent by his legal team to the Powers that Be, the country is hotly debating the wisdom of the execution. Like I mention earlier, Yakub was not the prime accused. He was one of many accused in the case, but one of the few ones who surrendered to the police and confessed his role in the crime. At the time, he was quoted to have said that he had “full faith in the Indian Judiciary”. It is a little disturbing to note that he is going to be the first to hang in the case, while the ones who are bigger contenders for the death penalty are out of the reach of the Indian law. Another person in Yakub’s case might have been shown more leniency. But after two decades of prison life, most of it spent in solitary confinement, is Yakub still tainted by his association to his brother and chief mastermind Tiger Memon?

Delhi-based publisher and President of the All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, says, “Yakub’s hanging before full justice is done to the victims of the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition riots and the 1993 serial blasts case is a murder of justice. The murderers, rapists and looters that roamed the streets after the Babri Masjid demolition, despite all the evidence against them – who will bring them to book? The Srikrishna Commission Report, submitted way back in February 1998, names all the political parties and their leaders engaged in these crimes. Even police officers participated in looting and killing. But nothing happened to these political and police goons. Until these criminals are first brought to book, Yaqub’s execution will remain a judicial murder by a callous political system which believes in offering human sacrifices from time to time in the false belief that this will prolong the life of this unjust system.”

(Picture courtesy idrw.org)

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10 things to know about Yakub Memon

This chartered accountant will be the first to be executed among those accused for the 1993 serial bombings in Bombay.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The country is currently discussing the upcoming execution by hanging of Yakub Memon (52), one of the many accused in the horrific 1993 bomb blasts of Bombay. A Mumbai resident, Yakub is a chartered accountant by qualification, and has been lodged in lodged for the last 21 years.

But who is this man, and why is his execution so significant? Here are 10 pointers on his involvement in the case.

1. Yakub is the younger brother of underworld don Tiger Memon. They grew up with their family in Byculla, Mumbai, in a largely Muslim neighbourhood. Tiger later shifted to Mahim with his family. The Memons were known to be hospitable and generous, often inviting everyone for family celebrations.

2. Yakub studied chartered accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Mumbai. He completed his course in 1990. Previously, he studied for M.Com at Burhani College of Commerce and Arts.

Yakub Memon3. He was arrested from New Delhi in 1994, though he has maintained all along that he and his wife surrendered to the police instead of fleeing the country. His confession about the 1993 blasts and the roles of everyone concerned was compiled into a thick dossier that laid out the entire conspiracy with names and timelines. He admitted that the plot was masterminded by his brother Tiger, who has since fled the country and is said to be living in Pakistan and UAE.

4. Handsome and articulate, Yakub was the obvious choice for his role as bookkeeper and back end planner for the 1993 blasts operation. He confessed to keeping a track of expenses, arranging for funds, ensuring money reached the handlers, and also arranged for some of the vehicles used in the bombing.

5. Judge PD Kode, who presided over the 1993 bombings trial at the TADA Court, held Yakub guilty on four charges: Criminal conspiracy, Aiding and abetting and facilitating in a terrorist act, Illegal possession and transportation of arms and ammuntion, Possessing explosives with intent to endanger lives.

6. While in prison, Yakub added to his educational qualifications with two Masters degrees – one for English literature and the other for Political Science – from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

7. Yakub’s lawyers previously argued for leniency in his case, citing schizophrenic tendencies in their client. However, this appeal was later dismissed by the court.

8. In all, Yakub has filed three appeals for clemency in the matter. After the third was rejected by the Supreme Court of India, the Court upheld the Government of Maharashtra’s demand for Yakub’s execution.

9. Jab We Met and Highway director Imtiaz Ali played Yakub Memon in director Anurag Kashyap’s critically acclaimed film Black Friday, which was based on the 1993 serial bombings.

10. Yakub will turn 53 on July 30, 2015, the day of his execution by hanging. He will be hanged at Nagpur Central Jail.

(Pictures courtesy www.talaippu.tk, www.ndtv.com)

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