Ahead of the arrival of Tahawwur Rana, accused in the 2008 Mumbai attack, fresh details have emerged revealing that two key factors have played a role for India in securing his extradition, news agency ANI, citing sources. Rana is being brought to India after his last-ditch attempt to evade extradition failed as the US Supreme Court justices rejected his application. He is expected to reach New Delhi on Thursday afternoon.
The first was legal arguments that countered the double jeopardy offence. India, represented by a robust team of legal experts, successfully argued before U.S. authorities that the principle of double jeopardy is determined by the specific elements of the crime rather than the defendant’s conduct.
Indian officials refuted Rana’s claim of double jeopardy, emphasizing that his prosecution under India’s stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act does not violate this principle. The counsel for Tahawwur Rana had urged the US Supreme Court to review the lower court’s decision to extradite him to India, citing the principle of double jeopardy, which prevents a person from being tried or punished twice for the same offense.
The second factor that led to the country’s success in securing the extradition was India’s diplomatic influence. Sources close to the extradition process revealed that India’s strong diplomatic presence, global standing, and amicable relations with the United States played a pivotal role in expediting Rana’s extradition, overcoming legal obstacles along the way.
Meanwhile, Trial court records related to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that were called from Mumbai to Delhi at the end of January, naming Tahawwur Rana and David Coleman Headley as accused, were recently received by the Patiala House Court, ANI reported, citing official sources.
In January, Delhi’s Patiala House Court recalled its trial court records related to the Mumbai attacks, following an application filed by the NIA requesting their retrieval from Mumbai.
Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national, was convicted in the US for the banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives and providing material support to the group responsible for the Mumbai attacks that killed over 174 people. Rana’s extradition marks a significant step in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The central government has appointed advocate Narender Mann as a Special Public Prosecutor to conduct the trials and other matters related to the NIA case.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels, and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India’s financial capital using the sea route in the Arabian Sea. As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault that sent shockwaves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
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