Yakub Memon's last hope of avoiding the hangman's noose for his role in the 1993 Mumbai bombings was dashed on Wednesday, after India's Supreme Court threw out his final plea for mercy hours before he was due to be executed.
Memon could go to the gallows before 7 a.m. (0130 GMT) on Thursday, his 53rd birthday, for his role as the "driving spirit" in a series of bombings that killed at least 257 people.
The case has aroused controversy because police considered Memon's brother, "Tiger" Memon, and mafia don Dawood Ibrahim to be the masterminds behind attacks designed to avenge the destruction of an ancient mosque by Hindu zealots in 1992.