Tahawwur Rana likely to be lodged in Tihar, special prosecutor to lead the trial

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is expected to be housed in a high-security ward at Tihar Jail upon his arrival in India, according to prison authorities who confirmed that all necessary preparations have been made for his custody.

Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian national, was a close associate of David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, a US citizen and one of the key conspirators behind the Mumbai attacks.

Following the US Supreme Court’s rejection of his final appeal to halt his extradition, Rana is being brought to India by a multi-agency team dispatched specifically for this purpose, officials said.

His extradition marks a significant step forward in the long-pending trial related to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, a horrific event that took place on November 26, 2008. That night, ten heavily armed terrorists from Pakistan infiltrated Mumbai via the Arabian Sea, launching coordinated attacks on prominent locations including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi Trident, and a Jewish centre. The siege lasted nearly 60 hours and claimed the lives of 166 people, leaving hundreds more injured. The incident brought India and Pakistan dangerously close to war and shocked the international community.

To conduct the upcoming legal proceedings, the central government has appointed advocate Narender Mann as the special public prosecutor. Mann will handle the trial and related matters concerning NIA case RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI, which pertains to Rana's involvement in the attacks.

In a late-night notification, the Union Home Ministry announced Mann’s appointment under the powers granted by Section 15(1) of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, and Section 18(8) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS).

"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 15 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 (34 of 2008), read with sub-section (8) of section 18 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), the central government hereby appoints Narender Mann, advocate as special public prosecutor for conducting trial and other matters related to NIA case RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI on behalf of the National Investigation Agency before the NIA Special Courts at Delhi and Appellate Courts, for a period of three years from the date of publication of this notification or till the completion of trial of the said case, whichever is earlier," the notification stated.

Rana is expected to arrive in India on Thursday.