Threat letter to SC judge who rejected Memon's mercy plea

Supreme Court judge Justice Dipak Misra, part of a three-member panel that rejected 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon's mercy plea, has received a threat letter, police said on Friday.

Misra received the letter at his New Delhi residence after which he lodged a complaint at the Tughlaq Road police station.

Police said that the anonymous letter, addressed to Justice Dipak Misra, was found by a security guard at the main gate of his 10, Tughlaq Road residence on Wednesday night.

"The hand-written letter was detected by a security guard near the main entrance gate of the judge's residence on August 5 night," Joint Commissioner of Police, Mukesh Kumar Meena, told IANS.

Police said that in the note written in Hindi, the sender threatened the judge and warned him of punishment.

A police official said a case under charges of criminal intimidation by anonymous communication has been registered.

"We have registered a case against unknown persons under appropriate sections and further investigation is on. We are yet to make any breakthrough in the matter," the official said.

Memon was hanged on July 30 after the apex court bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Prafulla C. Pant and Justice Amitava Roy post-midnight rejected Memon's plea seeking 14 days' time before the execution of his death sentence.

Police said Justice Misra and the two other judges were given a special security ring just after the hanging of Yakub, and that security has been further beefed up after the threat letter.