Decks Clear For Tahawwur Ranas Extradition To India; US Supreme Courtroom Rejects 26/11 Assault Accuseds Plea

NEW YORK: The US Supreme Courtroom has rejected 26/11 Mumbai terror assault accused Tahawwur Rana’s attraction in search of a keep on his extradition to India, transferring him nearer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face justice. Rana, 64, a Canadian nationwide of Pakistani origin, is at the moment lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. He’s recognized to be related to Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of many primary conspirators of the 26/11 assaults.

Headley carried out a recce of Mumbai earlier than the assaults by posing as an worker of Rana’s immigration consultancy. Rana had submitted an ‘Emergency Utility For Keep Pending Litigation of Petition For Writ of Habeas Corpus’ on February 27, 2025, with Affiliate Justice of the Supreme Courtroom of the USA and Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit Elena Kagan.

Kagan had denied the appliance earlier final month. Rana had then renewed his ‘Emergency Utility for Keep Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus beforehand addressed to Justice Kagan’, and requested that the renewed software be directed to US Chief Justice John Roberts. An order on the Supreme Courtroom web site famous that Rana’s renewed software had been “distributed for Convention” on April 4 and the “software” has been “referred to the Courtroom.” A discover on the Supreme Courtroom web site Monday mentioned that “Utility denied by the Courtroom.” Rana was convicted within the US of 1 rely of conspiracy to offer materials help to the terrorist plot in Denmark and one rely of offering materials help to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashker-e-Taiba which was chargeable for the assaults in Mumbai.

New York-based Indian-American lawyer Ravi Batra had advised PTI that Rana had made his software to the Supreme Courtroom to stop extradition, which Justice Kagan denied on March 6. The appliance was then submitted earlier than Roberts, “who has shared it with the Courtroom to convention in order to harness all the Courtroom’s view.” The Supreme Courtroom justices are Affiliate Justice Clarence Thomas, Affiliate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Affiliate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Affiliate Justice Elena Kagan, Affiliate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Affiliate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, Affiliate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and Affiliate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

In his emergency software, Rana had sought a keep of his extradition and give up to India pending litigation (together with exhaustion of all appeals) on the deserves of his February 13. In that petition, Rana argued that his extradition to India violates US regulation and the UN Conference Towards Torture “as a result of there are substantial grounds for believing that, if extradited to India, the petitioner will probably be at risk of being subjected to torture.” 

“The chance of torture on this case is even greater although as petitioner faces acute threat as a Muslim of Pakistani origin charged within the Mumbai assaults,” the appliance mentioned. The appliance additionally mentioned that his “extreme medical circumstances” render extradition to Indian detention services a “de facto” dying sentence on this case. The US Supreme Courtroom denied Rana’s petition for a writ of certiorari regarding his authentic habeas petition on January 21. The appliance notes that on that very same day, newly-confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio had met with Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington on February 12 to satisfy with Trump, Rana’s counsel acquired a letter from the Division of State, stating that “on February 11, 2025, the Secretary of State determined to authorise” Rana’s “give up to India,” pursuant to the “Extradition Treaty between the USA and India”. Rana’s Counsel requested from the State Division the entire administrative document on which Secretary Rubio based mostly his resolution to authorize Rana’s give up to India.

The Counsel additionally requested fast data of any dedication the USA has obtained from India with respect to Rana’s remedy. “The federal government declined to offer any data in response to those requests,” the appliance mentioned. It added that given Rana’s underlying well being circumstances and the State Division’s findings concerning the remedy of prisoners, it is vitally doubtless “Rana is not going to survive lengthy sufficient to be tried in India”.

Throughout a joint press convention with Prime Minister Modi within the White Home in February, President Donald Trump introduced that his administration has authorized the extradition of “very evil” Rana, wished by Indian regulation enforcement companies for his position within the 26/11 Mumbai terror assaults, “to face justice in India”. A complete of 166 folks, together with six People, have been killed within the 2008 Mumbai terror assaults during which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a greater than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing folks at iconic and important areas in Mumbai.