US Court Rejects Tahawwur Rana’s Plea; 26/11 Accused to Face Trial in India

Washington, 7 March – (www.deccanlive.com): The US Supreme Court has rejected the emergency petition of Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, had opposed his extradition to India, claiming he would be mistreated because of his Muslim and Pakistani background. With this decision, the path for his extradition to India is now clear.

Rana is accused of helping Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists plan and carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people, including six Americans. He was found guilty of working with his childhood friend and one of the main conspirators, David Coleman Headley, who is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence in the US.

Last month, former US President Donald Trump announced that his administration had approved Rana’s extradition to India so he could face trial for his role in the 26/11 attacks. Trump called Rana “one of the world’s worst people.” Now, Rana will face justice in India for his alleged involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks.

Earlier, Tahawwur Rana had filed an “emergency stay petition” before an Associate Justice of the US Ninth Circuit Court. In his petition, Rana argued that his extradition to India would violate US laws and the United Nations Convention Against Torture. He claimed there were “substantial grounds to believe he could be tortured if extradited to India.”

Rana requested that his extradition to India be halted until the court could fully review the merits of his petition, which was filed on February 13. The petition stated, “The risk of torture in this case is even higher, and the petitioner faces serious danger because he is a Muslim of Pakistani origin and is accused of involvement in the Mumbai attacks.” It also mentioned that Rana’s “serious health condition” would make his extradition to Indian detention centers “effectively equivalent to a death sentence.”

The petition referenced medical records from July 2024, which showed that Rana is suffering from several “serious and life-threatening illnesses and health issues.” These include heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, an enlarged mass indicating bladder cancer, kidney disease, and asthma. Additionally, he has contracted COVID-19 multiple times.