Delhi’s Patiala House Court has retrieved records related to the 26/11 attacks as extradition of mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana from the US to India approaches, facilitating his prosecution.
New Delhi: Ahead of the extradition of 26/11 mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana, Delhi’s Patiala House Court has recalled its trial court records related to the Mumbai attacks.
The move follows an application filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi, requesting the retrieval of these records from Mumbai. Earlier, these documents had been sent to Mumbai since multiple cases related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks were being heard there. This latest decision could pave the way for Rana’s prosecution in Delhi itself.
The US Government has officially approved Rana’s extradition to India, marking a major breakthrough in bringing one of the key 26/11 conspirators to justice.
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Former US President Donald Trump had described Rana as one of the plotters and ‘very evil people of the world’.
Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian national, is a close associate of Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, who played a major role in planning the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
After completing a 14-year sentence in the US in 2023, Rana has been under supervised detention at a Los Angeles detention center.
Rana had opposed his extradition, but on May 16, 2023, a US magistrate judge ruled in favor of his extradition. He then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, but on August 15, 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court rejected his appeal.
On January 21, 2025, the US Supreme Court denied his petition of writ of certiorari, effectively clearing the way for his extradition to India.
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Previously, Rana was prosecuted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and charged with:
- Count 11: Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in Denmark
- Count 12: Providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
India has charged Rana with conspiracy to commit multiple offenses, including:
- Waging war against the country
- Murder
- Forgery
- Committing terrorist acts
With the US courts rejecting all of Rana’s appeals, his extradition to India is now imminent. The recall of trial records by the Patiala House Court signals that Indian authorities are preparing to prosecute him in Delhi.
This development marks a crucial step in India’s relentless pursuit of justice for the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
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