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The Maharashtra authorities would go ahead with hanging of Yakub Memon, the sole death row convict of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, on July 30 as scheduled, highly placed sources in Mumbai said on Thursday.
Memon, whose curative petition against the death sentence awarded by special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier this week, is lodged in Nagpur Central Jail.
When asked about Memon's fate, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis only said that he would make a statement on July 29. "I will make a statement on the issue on July 29," Fadnavis told reporters.
However, highly-placed government sources said the state authorities will go ahead with the execution on July 30.
As many as 257 persons were killed and over 700 injured in the serial blasts in Mumbai on March 12, 1993. Memon was the only convict whose death penalty was upheld by the apex court.
After his curative petition was dismissed, Memon has submitted a mercy petition to the Maharashtra governor. On Thursday, he moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay of execution of his death sentence scheduled for July 30 on the ground that all legal remedies have not been exhausted. The President had earlier rejected his mercy petition.
Image: Security is beefed up at the central jail where 1993 Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon is lodged in Nagpur, Maharashtra on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI
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