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Updated 11:46 IST, January 25th 2025

26/11 Attack Convict Tahawwur Rana To Be Extradited to India, US Supreme Court Clears Decks

In a major newsbreak, the United States Supreme Court has cleared 26/11 Mumbai Attack convict Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India ahead of Republic Day.

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Tahawwur Raina to be Extradited to India
Tahawwur Raina to be Extradited to India | Image: Republic

Washington: In a big win for India, the United States Supreme Court has cleared the extradition of 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack-convict Tahawwur Rana to India. This was the last legal chance for Mumbai Attack accused to not be extradited which he has now lost.

Tahawwur Rana to be Extradited to India, US Supreme Court Clears Decks

The US Supreme Court has cleared Mumbai terror attack convict Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India as it dismissed a review petition against his conviction in the case. 

India was seeking the extradition of Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, and a close associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist David Coleman Headley, as he was wanted in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks case. This was Rana’s last legal chance not to be extradited to India. Earlier, he lost a legal battle in several federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the North Circuit in San Francisco.

Earlier, the US government had argued in the court that the petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied. US Solicitor General Elizabeth B Prelogar said this in its filing before the Supreme Court on December 16. She said Rana was not entitled to relief from extradition to India in this case.

In his ‘petitions for a writ of certiorari to review the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Rana argued that he was tried and acquitted in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) on charges relating to the 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai.  ‘India now seeks to extradite him for trial on charges based on the identical conduct at issue in the Chicago case,” it said. Prelogar disagreed.

“The government does not concede that all of the conduct on which India seeks extradition was covered by the government’s prosecution in this case.  For example, India’s forgery charges are based in part on conduct that was not charged in the United States: petitioner’s use of false information in an application to formally open a branch office of the Immigration Law Center submitted to the Reserve Bank of India,” the US Solicitor General had said.

“It is not clear that the jury’s verdict in this case — which involves conspiracy charges and was somewhat difficult to parse — means that he has been “convicted or acquitted” on all of the specific conduct that India has charged,” Prelogar had said.

‘Petition Denied’: SC Dismissed Rana's Last Legal Chance to Avoid Extradition

On November 13, Rana filed a “petition for a writ of certiorari” before the US Supreme Court. This was denied by the apex court on January 21, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the American President.

“Petition DENIED,” the Supreme Court said. Tahawwur Rana is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

Charges Against 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack Convict Tahawwur Rana

Rana is accused of providing the blueprint that helped Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) carry out the Mumbai attacks. He has been charged with criminal conspiracy, waging or attempting to wage war against the Government of India, murder, and forgery for the purpose of cheating, and other crimes under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking people at iconic and vital locations of Mumbai.

Who is Tahawwur Rana?

Tahawwur Rana is a former military doctor who served in the Pakistan Army and has been charged for his alleged role in the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. He was born in the Chicha Watni in the province of Punjab , Pakistan and later migrated to Canada after gaining citizenship and became an immigration service businessman. He was also reportedly charged in 2011 for supporting the terrorist organization Lakshar-e-Taiba and plotting an attack on the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

The 64-year-old who is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles is associated with Pakistani American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Popularly known as "Daood Gilani," is currently lodged in a US prison and serving 35 years after he was convicted for his role in planning the 2008 attacks in various locations in Mumbai.

(Inputs from PTI)

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Published 09:19 IST, January 25th 2025