SC deputy registrar resigns over Yakub execution

A faculty of National Law University Delhi and director of death penalty research has resigned from the Supreme Court’s deputy registrar-research position protesting the court’s orders on Yakub Memon.

Prof Anup Surendranath, appointed to the position last May, challenged the death warrants issued against Uttar Pradesh's Shabnam and Salim, Nithari killings convict Surendra Koli and 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon.

Prof Surendranath said in a Facebook post: “It would be silly and naive to see the events of the last 24 hours at the Supreme Court as some triumph of the rule of law — the two orders at 4pm on 29th July and 5am on 30th July (and the reasoning adopted therein) are instances of judicial abdication that must count amongst the darkest hours for the Supreme Court of India.”

“I have been contemplating this for a while now for a variety of reasons, but what was played out this week at the Supreme Court was the proverbial final nail — I have resigned from my post at the Supreme Court to focus on death penalty work at the University,” he added.

He also said it was “liberating” to regain the freedom to write what he wanted and he would make the full use of that freedom in the next few days.