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The Supreme Court on Tuesday referred the death penalty of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon to a larger bench due to the difference of opinion of two judges.
Chief Justice H.L. Dattu will constitute a larger bench. The matter will be heard tomorrow.
The apex court had sought a clarification from Attorney General on rules for curative petition as Memon says death warrant was issued before the Supreme Court's decision on his petition.
The apex court had said that it cannot go on merits of Memon's case, and added that nothing further is required as everything has been decided.
Memon had sought a stay of his death sentence after the apex court had rejected his mercy petition on July 21.
Memon moved the apex court contending that the death warrant for his execution was issued before he could exhaust the legal remedies available to him. He also sought that his death sentence be stayed by the apex court.
On Sunday, people from diverse fields urged President Pranab Mukherjee to grant Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon a reprieve from execution, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shatrughan Sinha. In their 15-page petition to the President, around 300 signatories which include several eminent persons, say “substantive and fresh grounds” could be considered to grant reprieve.
