Govt advises President to reject Memon's mercy plea

Yakub Memon, facing gallows in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, is all set to be executed tomorrow

Home Minister Rajnath Singh tonight called on President Pranab Mukherjee and believed to have conveyed government's view that mercy the petition of Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon be rejected.

Singh's meeting came after government at the top level considered the mercy petition referred to it by the President who acts on the aide and advice of the Council of Ministers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh and top officials, including Home Secretary L C Goyal at the Prime Minister's residence and discussed the issue and felt that the President should be advised to reject the mercy petition filed today.

Hectic consultations were in the evening on the issue with Law Secretary P K Malhotra holding discussions with the Home Secretary apparently on the issue.

Rashtrapati Bhavan is expected to make public its decision, one way or the other, on the issue tonight as time is running out for Memon.

He is scheduled to be hanged tomorrow morning in the Nagpur jail after the Supreme Court dismissed his petition against the death warrant on the ground that it was issued before his curative plea was heard by the court.