Should Yakub Memon be hanged?

Should Yakub Memon be hanged?

Introduction

Yakub Memon, one of the convicts of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, is to be hanged on July 30. The 1993 Mumbai blast was the biggest terror attack on the Indian soil.

In 2014, the Supreme Court of India confirmed the death sentence awarded to Memon by a Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act court. Later on, Memon gave a mercy petition, which was rejected by the honorable president – Pranab Mukherjee. The decision of fixing the execution date was given to the Maharashtra government as Memon is being held in the Nagpur jail.

The decision of granting a death sentence to Memon is generating a lot of controversies across the country. As it is the first execution related to the deadliest blasts of the nation, do you think that Memon deserves a death sentence? Let's take a look!

Yes – Yakub Memon deserves the death sentence.

Driving spirit – Yakub Memon is considered to be the “driving spirit” of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. It killed around 257 people and more than 700 people were injured in the attack. Did those innocent people deserve such a brutal death? Today, there are hundreds of people living with various disabilities in different corners of Mumbai, who were affected physically during the blast. He attacked not only the innocent people but also his own motherland.

Order of Supreme Court – The Supreme Court of India is the final court of appeal under the Indian Constitution. The citizens of India should abide by the rules and orders of the Supreme Court regarding any matter. The decision of Yakub's death sentence was pronounced by the Supreme Court of India. SC ordered the Maharashtra government to start preparing the hanging arrangements in the Nagpur jail. Thus, the state government should follow the order of the apex body.

Strong evidence – The court passes out a strong judgment only after evaluating the available evidences. There were evidences which stated that Yakub sponsored the blasts with the help of Mulchand Shah (co – accused). The evidences proved that he distributed the illegal money along with Shah.

Valid accusations – Apart from sponsoring the serial blasts, Memon was also accused for providing travel tickets to Mulchand Shah. Shah was sent to Pakistan to undergo a training in arms and ammunition. Memon was also accused of distributing the arms and weapons and purchasing the vehicles which carried the explosives.

Lesson for others - There should not be a second thought while making such strong decisions. Hanging Memon will pass out a strong message to all the aspiring terrorists in our country and across the borders. It would be a strong lesson for all the people who decide to act against their motherland.

Reason for 1993 blast – The 1993 Mumbai blasts is considered to be an answer by the Muslim community against the Ayodhya riots. Most of the terrorists consider themselves to be the freedom fighters. Yakub was involved in a terrorism act which took the lives of the people, who had nothing to do with the Ayodhya riots.

Profit – Hanging such terrorists would be very much profitable for our Indian government and judiciary system. Why should we spend tonnes of money in keeping a convict alive? Instead, the government can use that money for the development of the country. Why did our government spend lakhs of rupees in feeding Ajmal Kasab? The government should treat the hangings as a money raising event.

No – Yakub Memon deserves another chance.

A new life – Though Yakub Memon has been convicted of such a serious terror attack, the court should have accepted his mercy plea. Every individual learns from their mistakes. Memon has been imprisoned in 2007, after being convicted in the Mumbai blast. The court should grant him a life imprisonment rather than a death penalty.

Analyze the reason for action – Why did Yakub or his people take the law in their hands? The main driving force of the Mumbai blasts, is believed to be the Ayodhya riots. The demolition of the Babri masjid disturbed the emotional sentiments of the Muslim community and some of them probably lost faith in the judicial system of India. If the Ayodhya riots had not occurred, may be, there would not have been a possibility of the serial blasts.

Only Yakub? - The next question that arises when we think of this judgment is, why only Yakub Memon? Is he the only person convicted in the entire case? Well, the answer is a clear no. Mulchand Shah, who is charged with similar actions is still enjoying his life in the prison. Memon is accused for supplying the arms, whereas, Sanjay Dutt was accused for protecting those arms. In spite of being a main convict, Dutt continues to gives smashing hits in the Bollywood industry. It is not a fair decision to hang only Memon.

Delay – The delay in the hanging decision of Memon would send out a wrong message. In the terror related cases, the death penalty should act as an immediate and effective instrument. The delay in the judgment would create a suspicion regarding a foul play in the entire investigation. The death sentence should be executed rapidly with integrity and reliability to the process & not after so many years.

Conclusion

India has faced a lot of terrorist attacks in the last few years. Out of those, the most terrible attacks were the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and 26/11 attacks. There has been sufficient evidence which proved the involvement of Pakistan terrorists in the attacks that took place in India.

India has always taken a lot of time in deciding whether a terror attack convict should be hanged or not? The delay took place in the case of Afzal Guru, Ajmal kasab and now, Yakub Memon.

Such action against such convicts should be quick so that it sends out a strong message to the people of our society. The laws and their executions should be made stricter so that no one dares to act against their motherland in any way.