The Supreme Court has refused urgent hearing on the plea of four aides of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, seeking stay on execution of their death penalty. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, who had mentioned the matter at the CJI's residence said, the Chief Justice did not hear the matter last evening, on the ground that there was no proof that execution is scheduled today. He said the CJI told him that the matter will be taken up for hearing in due course.

Veerappan's elder brother Gnanaprakash, Simon, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran were awarded death sentence in 2004 in connection with a landmine blast at Palar in Karnataka in 1993 in which 22 police personnel were killed.