A major update has come in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks case. Tahawwur Rana, who is accused of helping plan the attacks, is finally being brought to India from the United States. He had tried many times to stop this, but the US Supreme Court has now rejected his final legal request.

Sources say a special plane is bringing him to India, and it will need to refuel on the way. The flight is expected to reach India either late tonight or early tomorrow.

Why did the US agree to send Rana to India?

Rana had filed a petition in the US Supreme Court to stop his extradition. But the court clearly said, "The application for stay addressed to the Chief Justice and referred to the Court is denied." A similar plea had also been rejected in March.

He told the court that he had serious health problems like an abdominal aortic aneurysm that could rupture any time, Parkinson’s disease with memory loss, and signs of bladder cancer. He also claimed he would not survive long enough to face a trial in India. Rana even said that he might be targeted in India because of "national, religious, and cultural animosity". But the US court did not accept these arguments.

In February, during a joint press conference, US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had clarified that “Tahawwur Rana would face justice in India.”

Who is Tahawwur Rana, and what was his role in 26/11?

Tahawwur Rana is a Pakistani-origin businessman and physician. He is known to have links with David Coleman Headley, a key conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Headley is already serving a sentence in the US.

Rana is also believed to have links with the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Pakistan's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). While a US jury had earlier cleared him of the charge of helping the 26/11 attacks, he was found guilty of other charges and was jailed for over 10 years.

He was released when his health worsened after the Covid pandemic but was arrested again for extradition to India. After losing all legal battles in US courts, he is now being brought to India to face justice.

 

You might also be interested in: Why 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana is still not in India's custody