Express News Service
NEW DELHI: IN a major legal victory for India, a US court has approved the extradition of Pakistani-origin Tahawwur Rana to face trial for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Rana’s trial in India will help in proving Pakistan’s direct involvement in the 26/11 attacks.
The US Secretary of State will now decide whether Rana’s custody will be handed over to the NIA, which is investigating the case. The 62-year-old “should be extradited to India” under the extradition treaty between India and the US, said the order by US Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian of the District Court of the Central District of California.
The ruling comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US trip in June. India is trying to for a speedy and early extradition of Rana, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. Rana can appeal in the Circuit Court, which will likely affirm the district court order.
New Delhi had applied for Rana’s extradition through the Ministry of External Affairs in December 2019. In June 2020, US authorities had put Rana under detention following a request from the NIA. Judge Chooljian had held the last hearing in the case in June 2021 and the last set of papers related to the case was filed in July that year. For about two years, there was hardly any progress in the case.
The chargeRana falsely represented convicted 26/11 accused David Coleman Headley as an employee of his visa facilitation company Immigration Law Centre
NEW DELHI: IN a major legal victory for India, a US court has approved the extradition of Pakistani-origin Tahawwur Rana to face trial for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Rana’s trial in India will help in proving Pakistan’s direct involvement in the 26/11 attacks.
The US Secretary of State will now decide whether Rana’s custody will be handed over to the NIA, which is investigating the case. The 62-year-old “should be extradited to India” under the extradition treaty between India and the US, said the order by US Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian of the District Court of the Central District of California.
The ruling comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US trip in June. India is trying to for a speedy and early extradition of Rana, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. Rana can appeal in the Circuit Court, which will likely affirm the district court order.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
New Delhi had applied for Rana’s extradition through the Ministry of External Affairs in December 2019. In June 2020, US authorities had put Rana under detention following a request from the NIA. Judge Chooljian had held the last hearing in the case in June 2021 and the last set of papers related to the case was filed in July that year. For about two years, there was hardly any progress in the case.
The charge
Rana falsely represented convicted 26/11 accused David Coleman Headley as an employee of his visa facilitation company Immigration Law Centre
