Tahawwur Rana's Extradition to India: NIA Prepares for Custody
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Synopsis
The US Supreme Court has denied Tahawwur Rana's plea to block his extradition to India. He is expected to arrive in India on Wednesday, where the NIA will take him into custody to face charges related to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Key Takeaways
- Tahawwur Rana is set to be extradited to India after US Supreme Court's denial of his appeal.
- The NIA will take custody of him upon arrival, likely in Mumbai.
- Rana faces charges tied to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
- Concerns over torture were raised in his extradition case.
- President Trump announced his extradition during Modi's visit.
New Delhi, April 9 (NationPress) Following the rejection of Tahawwur Rana's petition by the US Supreme Court to halt his extradition to India, he is expected to arrive in the nation on Wednesday, with the NIA set to take custody of him.
According to sources, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will bring the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks, Tahawwur Rana, to India.
While it remains uncertain whether he will be brought to Delhi or Mumbai, sources indicate that he is likely to land in Mumbai, the site where the 26/11 plan was executed. It is also reported that he will spend the initial few weeks in NIA custody.
Rana is being extradited to India to face legal repercussions for his involvement in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that resulted in the deaths of 157 individuals.
The US Court denied his request to prevent extradition to India. "Application (…) denied by the Court," was the update from the Supreme Court docket on Monday.
A Pakistani-Canadian and member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Rana attempted to halt his extradition due to fears of torture, citing a case from the UK. "A man convicted of money laundering was stopped from extradition by a London court due to his fears of torture. If that individual could not be extradited to India because of potential torture, then the petitioner is even more likely to face torture and should similarly not be extradited," stated Tillman J. Finley, Rana's legal counsel, in the application.
This application was dismissed by Justice Elena Kagan in March. Subsequently, Rana appealed to Chief Justice John Roberts, and the matter was scheduled for discussion on Friday. The verdict from the justices was posted on Monday.
Rana is sought in India for aiding David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American convicted by a US jury for scouting the targets attacked by the LeT terrorists in 2008. While he was acquitted by a US jury of providing material support for the attacks, he was convicted on two other charges, leading to a sentence of over ten years in prison.
After suffering health issues due to Covid-19, he was ordered to be released from jail but was subsequently rearrested for extradition to India.
Headley had secured assurances against extradition through a plea deal with US authorities. Rana's appeal against his extradition exhausted all legal avenues, culminating in the chief justice's denial.
President Donald Trump had announced his extradition to India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House in February, leading Rana to seek intervention from the Supreme Court to stop his extradition.
