- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: In a pivotal development ahead of the anticipated extradition of 26/11 mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the Patiala House Court in Delhi has recalled trial court records related to the Mumbai attacks. This action follows an application from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seeking to retrieve these records from Mumbai, where they had been sent due to overlapping cases in both cities. This move could facilitate Rana’s prosecution in Delhi.
Recently, the US government approved Rana’s extradition to India, with President Donald Trump labeling him as one of the world’s most dangerous conspirators. Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian citizen, is a close associate of David Coleman Headley, a key figure in the 26/11 attacks. After serving a 14-year sentence in 2023, he is currently under supervised detention at a metropolitan facility in Los Angeles.
On January 21, the US Supreme Court denied Rana’s petition for a writ of certiorari aimed at blocking his extradition to India. This petition was filed in November 2024 against a prior lower court ruling that favored his extradition. A writ of certiorari allows a higher court to review a lower court’s case.
Previously, Rana was prosecuted in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where he faced three charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in Denmark and support for Lashkar-e-Taiba. In India, he faces charges of conspiracy to commit various offenses, including waging war, murder, forgery, and terrorism. Throughout the extradition process, Rana has remained in custody.
Rana opposed the extradition, but on May 16, 2023, the extradition magistrate judge dismissed his objections and confirmed his extraditability. He subsequently sought a writ of habeas corpus from the US District Court for the Central District of California, but on August 15, 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court upheld the habeas court’s decision, rejecting all of Rana’s arguments.
