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Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana is currently lodged in an American jail.
Tahawwur Rana, accused of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, can be extradited to India. His appeal against this decision has been rejected by the US court. The US appeals court said in its decision on August 15 that he can be extradited to India under the extradition treaty between the two countries.
Rana, a Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin, had filed a petition in the Ninth Circuit Court. He had pleaded that he should not be handed over to India till the hearing. In May 2023 also, a US court had rejected the petition filed on behalf of Rana.
Last year also the petition against extradition was rejected in the court
To avoid being handed over to India, Pakistani-origin Tahawwur Rana had filed a habeas corpus in the US court. However, the District Court of Los Angeles had said in its decision that considering the allegations on the basis of which India has demanded the extradition of Tahawwur, his extradition can be allowed.
After the verdict against him, Rana filed another petition in the Ninth Circuit Court. The decision on this petition came on Thursday. He justified the dismissal of the habeas corpus petition. The panel acknowledged that Rana’s crime falls under the terms of the extradition treaty between the US and India.
In its decision, the panel also acknowledged that India has put forward strong evidence for the allegations leveled against Rana regarding the attack. However, Rana has the option to appeal against this decision. He has still not exhausted all legal options to prevent his extradition to India.
166 people were killed in the attack on Mumbai on 26 November 2008. 9 terrorists were also killed in the action of NSG commandos and security forces.
Tahawwur is a childhood friend of the attack’s mastermind David Headley
During the hearing in the court, the government lawyers argued that Tahawwur was a childhood friend of the mastermind of this attack, David Headley, and he knew that Headley was working with Lashkar-e-Taiba. By helping Headley and giving him financial help, Tahawwur was supporting the terrorist organization and the terrorists involved.
Rana knew whom Headley was meeting and what he was talking about. He also knew the planning of the attack and the names of some targets. The US government has said that Rana was a part of this entire conspiracy and there is every possibility that he has committed the crime of funding the terrorist attack.
David Headley was the mastermind of the Mumbai attack. Rana helped him financially – file photo
He wanted to award Nishan-e-Haider to the 9 terrorists killed in the attack
According to the extradition order issued by the court, a co-accused in this attack met Rana in Dubai. On 25 December 2008, he wrote a mail to Headley asking how is Rana? Is he nervous or relaxed? The next day Headley replied that Rana is absolutely carefree and is also telling me not to panic.
On 7 September 2009, Rana told Headley that the nine terrorists killed in the Mumbai attacks should be awarded Nishan-e-Haider, the highest civilian award of the Pakistani army. He also asked Headley to tell one of his associates who helped in the Mumbai attack conspiracy that he should be awarded a top-class medal.
India has declared Rana a fugitive. The Special Court of India’s National Investigation Agency also issued an arrest warrant against Rana in August 2018. He was arrested in 2009.
Rana may come to India, doubt over Headley
Headley was arrested by US authorities in October 2009 and was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks. The extradition treaty between India and the US provides 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 had made a deal with the US that he would cooperate fully with them provided he was not extradited to India or Pakistan.
