Tahawwur Rana’s custody depends on extradition grounds: Mumbai Police

Mumbai Police on Wednesday said that any decision on taking custody of the 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana will depend on the specific grounds outlined in the extradition order once he is brought to India.

According to reports, Rana is being extradited from the United States in connection with a conspiracy case registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2009 related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

According to the Mumbai Crime Branch, a case of criminal conspiracy against Rana was originally lodged by the NIA in Delhi following the deadly November 2008 attacks in which over 160 people were killed.

The ongoing extradition process pertains to that case. However, officials clarified that it is yet to be determined whether Mumbai Police can seek his custody for any local investigation linked to the attacks.

“Only after examining the grounds of extradition will it be clear whether custody can be sought by the Mumbai Crime Branch in this matter,” sources said.

Sources added that the Mumbai Police has not received any formal communication so far regarding Rana’s transfer to the city for questioning or judicial proceedings.

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.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday welcomed the US Supreme Court’s decision to extradite Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, to India.

Speaking at the News 18 Rising Bharat Summit 2025, he said, “There’s nothing really new that I can say on the Tahawwur Rana issue. Obviously, we welcome the decision of the American legal process.”

The comments came as the United States (US) Supreme Court rejected the plea of Tahawwur Rana- accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks- seeking a stay on his extradition to India.

“The application for stay addressed to The Chief Justice and referred to the Court is denied,” the US SC order dated Monday, April 7, 2025, stated.

On April 7, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected Tahawwur Rana’s plea to stay his extradition to India. Rana filed an emergency application with Chief Justice Roberts on March 20, 2025, seeking a stay on his extradition.

“The application for stay addressed to The Chief Justice and referred to the Court is denied,” the US SC order dated Monday, April 7, 2025, stated.

Earlier, US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan had denied a similar plea in March. His request was circulated among the Supreme Court justices for a conference held on April 4, as per the court’s official website.

In his earlier application, Rana argued that he would not survive long enough to be tried in India due to various reasons.

Rana highlighted his deteriorating health. He suffers from a 3.5 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm at immediate risk of rupture, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, and a mass suggestive of bladder cancer. He asserts that he cannot be sent into a “hornet’s nest”, where he will be targeted due to national, religious, and cultural animosity.