Tahavur Rana, an accused in the 26 November 2008 Mumbai terror attack, has appealed to the US Supreme Court against his extradition to India. On August 15 this year, the US Federal Court gave its verdict to send Tahavvur to India under the Indo-US extradition treaty. Rana has reached the Supreme Court against this verdict.
Rana, a Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin, filed the petition in federal court last year. He requested that he not be extradited to India pending a hearing, which was rejected. Even in May 2023, the American court rejected Rana's application.
Now if the Supreme Court also rejects Tahawvur's appeal, he cannot appeal further. After this the Tahavvur can be brought to India. Tahavur is accused of funding the Mumbai attacks.
On 26 November 2008, 166 people were killed in the attack in Mumbai. 9 terrorists were also killed in the action of NSG commandos and security forces.
Last year too, the court rejected the plea against extradition To avoid being extradited to India, Pakistani-origin Tahavur Rana filed a habeas corpus petition in a US court. A habeas corpus petition is used when a person is held in illegal custody.
After this, the District Court of Los Angeles said in its decision that Tahavvur's extradition can be granted in view of the charges on which India has sought his extradition.
After the verdict against him, Rana filed another petition in the court. The verdict in this regard came in August. In which the dismissal of the habeas corpus petition was justified. The panel said Rana's crimes fall under the terms of the extradition treaty between the US and India.
The panel acknowledged that India had provided concrete evidence of the allegations against Rana regarding the attack. Now Rana has appealed to the Supreme Court against this verdict.
Tahavur is a childhood friend of David Headley, the mastermind of the attack During a court hearing last year, prosecutors argued that Tahavur was a childhood friend of the attack's mastermind, David Headley, and knew that Headley was working with Lashkar-e-Taiba. By aiding and abetting Headley, Tahavur was aiding and abetting the terrorist organization and its affiliates.
Rana knew who Hadley was meeting and what he was talking about. He also knew the attack plan and the names of some of the targets. The US government has said that Rana was involved in the entire conspiracy and it is highly likely that he committed the crime of funding terrorist attacks.
David Headley was the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks. Rana helped him financially –
Rana may come to India, doubts on Headley
Headley was arrested by US authorities in October 2009 and sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks. The extradition treaty between India and the US stipulates that if a person commits a crime in India and is caught on US soil, India can seek his extradition.
According to several reports, Headley made a deal with the US that he would give them full cooperation, although he would not be extradited to India or Pakistan.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
