Tahawwur Rana seeks US Supreme Court intervention to halt extradition

Tahawwur Rana, accused in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, has approached the US Supreme Court seeking an emergency stay on his extradition to India.

This request follows the approval of his extradition by the US, announced recently by former President Donald Trump during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US.

In his petition, Rana expressed concerns about being tortured or killed if extradited, citing his identity as a Muslim of Pakistani origin and a former member of the Pakistani Army as factors that could make him vulnerable in India.

He also highlighted health concerns, including an abdominal aortic aneurysm, Parkinson's disease, and potential bladder cancer, suggesting that his life could be at risk in Indian custody.

Rana's petition references the Human Rights Watch 2023 World Report, alleging increasing autocracy in India and systematic discrimination against religious minorities, particularly Muslims, as part of his plea against extradition.

Rana, a known associate of David Coleman Headley—an American terrorist of Pakistani origin and a key figure in the November 26, 2008, attacks in Mumbai—is implicated in planning the attacks that killed 166 people.

Headley testified against Rana, stating that he conducted reconnaissance missions in Mumbai several times between 2007 and 2008.

A businessman with ties to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, Rana's role in facilitating the 26/11 attacks has been a thorny issue in India-US relations.

During a joint press conference with PM Modi, Trump emphasized the significance of Rana's extradition, calling him 'one of the very evil people of the world' involved in the attacks.

In 2011, a US court acquitted Rana of charges related to the Mumbai attacks but convicted him of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba and aiding a terror plot in Denmark.

His recent review petition was rejected by the US Supreme Court.

The attacks on November 26, 2008, targeted multiple locations in Mumbai, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Taj Mahal Hotel, resulting in the deaths of 166 individuals, among them security personnel and foreign nationals.