New Delhi, Feb 27 – A Delhi court has requested the trial records of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks from a Mumbai court in anticipation of the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the alleged mastermind behind the attack, from the United States to India.
In an order passed on January 28, District Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav directed officials of the Mumbai court to provide the necessary case files. The move follows a plea by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to retrieve the records, which were earlier sent to Mumbai due to multiple cases related to the attack being handled in both cities.
Rana’s extradition took a decisive turn on January 21, when the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed his review petition, rejecting his last legal challenge against being handed over to Indian authorities. A U.S. court had previously ruled in favor of his extradition, confirming that the Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman could be sent to India to face trial for his alleged role in the 2008 attacks.
Currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, Rana is closely linked to Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the chief conspirators of the attack. Headley had obtained Rana’s consent to set up an office of First World Immigration Services in Mumbai, using it as a cover for reconnaissance operations before the attack.
The 26/11 Mumbai attacks, orchestrated by Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, led to the deaths of 166 people, including six American nationals. A total of 10 terrorists executed the coordinated assault, launching a 60-hour siege on several iconic locations across Mumbai.
As India awaits Rana's extradition, the retrieval of trial court records is expected to facilitate legal proceedings against him once he arrives in the country.
In an order passed on January 28, District Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav directed officials of the Mumbai court to provide the necessary case files. The move follows a plea by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to retrieve the records, which were earlier sent to Mumbai due to multiple cases related to the attack being handled in both cities.
Rana’s extradition took a decisive turn on January 21, when the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed his review petition, rejecting his last legal challenge against being handed over to Indian authorities. A U.S. court had previously ruled in favor of his extradition, confirming that the Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman could be sent to India to face trial for his alleged role in the 2008 attacks.
Currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, Rana is closely linked to Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the chief conspirators of the attack. Headley had obtained Rana’s consent to set up an office of First World Immigration Services in Mumbai, using it as a cover for reconnaissance operations before the attack.
The 26/11 Mumbai attacks, orchestrated by Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, led to the deaths of 166 people, including six American nationals. A total of 10 terrorists executed the coordinated assault, launching a 60-hour siege on several iconic locations across Mumbai.
As India awaits Rana's extradition, the retrieval of trial court records is expected to facilitate legal proceedings against him once he arrives in the country.
