Yakub Memon, Hanged for His Role in 1993 Blasts, Buried by Family in Mumbai

Nagpur: Yakub Memon was hanged a little before 7 am on Thursday morning in a Nagpur prison, less than two hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his final appeal against his hanging in an unprecedented hearing that was held within the court premises in the middle of the night.

Memon was executed at the Nagpur jail where he had spent almost half of his more than 20 years in prison since he was convicted for playing a crucial role in the serial bombings in Mumbai in which 257 people were killed in 1993.

He was hanged on his 53rd birthday, after a meeting with older brother Suleiman.  

Memon's body was brought from Nagpur and handed over to his family. He was buried in Mumbai. Heavy security was put in place, with police in riot gear deployed to guard against possible street protests. Security was also tightened at Memon's family home in Mahim.

On Wednesday, President Pranab Mukherjee and the Supreme Court both dismissed appeals from Memon challenging his hanging. His petition to the President sought mercy; in the Supreme Court, his lawyers argued that judges had not followed due process when upholding his death sentence earlier this week. When neither route brought reprieve, activists and lawyers filed a late-night petition arguing that Memon's mercy petition had been rejected in an unwarranted rush by the President, and that a prisoner is entitled to a 14-day gap before execution once a request for clemency is turned down.

For the first time ever, judges of the Supreme Court had a court-room opened up in the middle of the night to hear the appeal. The same three judges who had ruled against Memon on Wednesday convened to weigh the final appeal. Nearly two hours later, they decided that Memon had been given "ample opportunity" to challenge his death sentence, and that he had availed of all existing legal options.

Explaining their verdict, they said they could not overlook the mercy petition filed last year by Memon's brother on his behalf, which had been turned down by the President.

Critics question whether Memon's death serves India's larger interests, saying it sends the wrong message to potential collaborators with justice agencies. Memon left Mumbai just before the serial blasts in 1993 with his family. He returned a year later to face trial. Supporters of his appeal say he offered crucial evidence that helped convict others responsible for the terror attack, including several members of his own family. His older brother, Tiger Memon, and Dawood Ibrahim, who masterminded the deadly bombings, remain missing.

Those who supported the execution said Memon had been convicted of financing a huge terror attack, and pointed to the anguish of the families who lost members in the killings. Investigators who handled Memon's return to India from Pakistan denied reports that he had been offered a secret plea bargain in exchange for cooperating with the inquiry.

Memon's execution is the third in India in less than three years, following an eight-year gap.