Delhi’s Patiala House Court has recalled its trial records related to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, a move seen as a key step ahead of the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana.
The decision follows an application by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi, requesting the retrieval of these records from Mumbai.
The documents had been sent to Mumbai earlier due to multiple cases linked to the 26/11 attacks being handled in both cities. With this recall, Rana’s trial could now take place in Delhi.
Recently, the US government approved Rana’s extradition to India. US President Donald Trump had referred to him as one of the ‘very evil people’ involved in the attacks.
Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian, was a close associate of David Coleman Headley, a key conspirator in the 26/11 attacks.
Having served a 14-year sentence, Rana remains under supervised detention at a facility in Los Angeles.
On 21 January, the US Supreme Court rejected Rana’s petition to block his extradition. He had filed a writ of certiorari in November 2024, challenging an earlier ruling that allowed his extradition.
This legal move sought a higher court’s review of his case but was denied.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois previously tried Rana.
He was convicted on two counts:
- Conspiracy to provide support for terrorism in Denmark, and
- Providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba
India’s charges against him include conspiracy to wage war, commit murder, forge documents, and carry out terrorist acts. He has remained in custody throughout the extradition process.
Despite opposing his extradition, a US magistrate judge ruled on 16 May 2023, that he could extradited. Rana later filed a habeas corpus petition, but on 15 August, 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court upheld the decision, dismissing his arguments.
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