Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington DC, Apr 7: The final legal hurdle for Tahawwur Rana, accused of playing a significant role in the devastating 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that claimed 157 lives, has been cleared. The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected his petition seeking to block his extradition to India to face legal consequences for his involvement.
The Supreme Court docket, updated on Monday, tersely stated, "Application (...) denied by the Court," effectively ending Rana's attempts to evade extradition through the US judicial system.
Rana's legal team had argued against his extradition, citing a fear of torture and drawing a parallel with a UK case where a money laundering convict successfully prevented extradition to India based on similar concerns. "A man convicted of money laundering was prevented from being extradited by a London court upholding his fears of torture. If that person could not be extradited to India because he was likely to be tortured, the petitioner is even more likely to be tortured and similarly should not be extradited," argued Tillman J. Finley, Rana's counsel, in the application.
However, this application was initially rejected by Justice Elena Kagan in March. Rana subsequently appealed to Chief Justice John Roberts, and the matter was scheduled for a conference on Friday before the full court's verdict was delivered on Monday.
India seeks Rana's extradition for his alleged assistance to David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American who was convicted by a US jury for scouting the targets attacked by Lashkar-e-Tayyeba terrorists in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
While a US jury acquitted Rana of providing material support for the attacks themselves, he was found guilty on two other related charges, for which he received a sentence exceeding ten years in prison.
Following health complications stemming from a COVID-19 infection, Rana was initially ordered released from custody. However, he was promptly rearrested pending extradition proceedings initiated by India.
It is noteworthy that David Coleman Headley, a key figure in the Mumbai attacks plot, secured an exemption from extradition as part of a plea agreement with US authorities.
Rana's appeal against his extradition has now reached its conclusion with the Supreme Court's denial of his appeal to the Chief Justice, effectively exhausting his legal avenues within the United States.
The extradition of Rana to India gained prominence when then-President Donald Trump announced it during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the White House in February. Rana subsequently approached the Supreme Court in a final attempt to halt the extradition process.
At present, the timeline for Rana's transfer to India remains uncertain.