The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the execution of death sentence of 1993 Mumbai bomb blast convict Taher Mohammed Merchant who was found guilty on different counts including hatching conspiracy and waging war against the nation. Merchant, along with Feroze Abdul Rashid Khan, was given the death sentence after being convicted along with underworld don Abu Salem. However, the latter escaped the capital punishment because of conditions surrounding his extradition from Portugal. "There shall be stay of the execution of death sentence," said a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar, directing the supply of the order's copy to the Central Bureau of Investigation and listing the matter for hearing on March 14 next year.

Supreme Court