As the death sentence to 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Yakub Memon has taken a communal angle, the Nagpur Central Jail authorities may take a decision to bury him in the jail premises to avoid flaring up of communal tension.
The jail authorities are preparing to bury Memon at the jail premises, instead of handing over the body to the family.
The decision has been taken to avoid any law and order crisis.
“We are not handing over the body to the family, but Yakub’s wife Rahin and daughter Zubeida will be allowed to attend the funeral in jail,” a jail source was quoted in the report, adding that the final resting place had been identified in Goal Maidan, which is a farming ground within the prison compound.
However, Memon’s lawyer will contest this decision and apply for the handover of the body to the family.
“We will take a move after the SC’s decision. But we will apply for the body’s handover,” Yakub’s lawyer Anil Gedam was quoted as saying.
The Supreme Court on Monday took up the mercy plea of Yakub and decided to continue hearing the same on Tuesday.
According to reports, the apex court also sought clarification from Attorney General on rules for curative petition as Memon had contended that the death warrant was issued against him before the apex court’s decision on his petition.
The Chief Justice of India had constituted a three-member special bench to hear his plea seeking a stay on the Supreme Court order. Memon had also filed a mercy petition before the Maharashtra Governor seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, top Indian politicians, former judges and prominent jurists on Sunday petitioned President Pranab Mukherjee to stay the execution of Memon. He is scheduled to be hanged on July 30.
The blasts in March 1993 ripped through Mumbai, killing at least 257 people at separate landmarks, including the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).Police said Yakub Memon’s brother ‘Tiger’ Memon and mafia don Dawood Ibrahim were the main masterminds behind the attack.
