SC begins hearing on Memon's plea to stall execution

The Supreme Court has commenced hearing on 1993 Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon's petition seeking stay on the execution of his death sentence by 14 days.

If not stayed, the death sentence will be carried out on Thursday morning.

The apex court bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Prafulla C. Pant and Justice Amitava Roy are hearing a last ditch attempt by Memon to get some reprieve from his near-imminent execution.

Perhaps for the first time, in the early hours of Thursday, the Supreme Court is hearing a petition seeking a stay on the execution of death sentence at the court premises at such late hours of the night.

Memon's mercy petition was earlier rejected by the president on Wednesday, wherein, he raised fresh grounds for clemency -- commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment.

Justice Dipak Misra headed the three-judges bench of the Supreme Court which had on Wednesday rejected Memon's plea seeking stay of his execution and quashing of the death warrant.

Exercises were earlier are on for constituting a bench to hear a petition by Memon seeking postponement of his death sentence.

In the early hours of Thursday, a senior registrar of Supreme Court reached the residence of Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu in connection with exercising related to the hearing of the petition.