A Delhi court on Monday extended the custody of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana by 12 days, following a plea by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The accused was produced before Special NIA Judge Chander Jit Singh amid heavy security, with his face covered, marking the end of his previous 18-day custody.
Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian businessman and a close associate of 26/11 conspirator David Coleman Headley, was extradited to India earlier this month after the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed his final plea against extradition on April 4. Headley, a U.S. citizen, had turned approver in the 26/11 case and had named Rana in his testimony.
During in-camera proceedings, senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and special public prosecutor Narender Mann argued for the NIA, stating that Rana’s further custody was essential to uncover the full scope of the conspiracy. The agency submitted that he needed to be taken to various locations to retrace the events related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The NIA also alleged that Rana had planned multiple attacks similar to 26/11, targeting several Indian cities including Delhi, and accused him of not cooperating with the investigation.
Advocate Piyush Sachdeva from the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) is representing Rana in the case.
In the previous remand order, the court had directed the NIA to conduct a medical examination of Rana every 24 hours and permit him to meet his lawyer every alternate day. Rana was also allowed to write only with a “soft-tip pen” and meet his lawyer in the presence of NIA officials, who would remain out of audible range.
The case continues to draw significant attention as investigators seek to unravel deeper links in the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed over 170 lives.
Sources By Agencies
