Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan will lead the prosecution of Tahawwur Rana in India for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Rana is accused of helping plan the attacks that killed over 160 people in 2008. He is currently in the United States, but India is working to bring him here through extradition. This move is an important step in getting justice for the victims of the attacks.
New Delhi: Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, who represented India in the extradition case of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana in a US court, is now set to lead the prosecution for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi.
Rana, a close associate of David Coleman Headley, the main conspirator behind the 26/11 attacks and a US citizen, is reportedly en route to India after the US Supreme Court dismissed his review petition regarding his extradition on April 4.
Krishnan has been involved in the extradition proceedings since 2010 and will be supported by Special Prosecutor Narender Mann, an experienced criminal lawyer who has previously represented the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi High Court.
The prosecution team will also include advocates Sanjeevi Sheshadri and Sridhar Kale, along with counsel from the NIA.
Rana, a close associate of 26/11 main conspirator David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, is reportedly on his way to India after the US Supreme Court dismissed his review plea against extradition on April 4.
Although Rana’s trial began in 2018, a significant turning point in the extradition case occurred in May 2023.
A source close to the extradition proceedings, said,
“The most important decision of his extradition came on May 16, 2023, being the first judgment by the Magistrate Judge, US District Court of Central District of California,”
The Magistrate Court’s approval of the extradition confirmed Krishnan’s position, where he argued that Rana’s case did not involve double jeopardy, a legal term meaning being punished twice for the same crime.
According to the source, the proceedings featured a vigorous legal battle between Krishnan and Paul Garlick QC, who represented Rana. Garlick contended that the situation constituted double jeopardy, while Krishnan maintained that an accused’s actions did not dictate the circumstances; rather, it was the elements of the crime that mattered.
The court accepted Krishnan’s submissions, which he presented on behalf of the Indian government in conjunction with the US Department of Justice. Another key milestone for the Indian government occurred when a US District Judge dismissed Rana’s appeal on August 10, 2023.
After this dismissal, Rana appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit but faced another setback when his plea was rejected on August 15, 2024, according to the source.
Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian national, then approached the US Supreme Court, which denied him relief on January 21, 2025. Ultimately, on April 4, the US Supreme Court dismissed his review plea, marking the final step toward his extradition.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists launched a coordinated attack in Mumbai, targeting the CST, two luxury hotels, and a Jewish center after infiltrating India via the Arabian Sea. This three-day terror siege resulted in the deaths of 166 people.