26/11 Accused Tahawwur Rana Fights Extradition to India, Cites Torture Fears in US Supreme Court Plea
Tahawwur Rana, a key figure in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people, has made a desperate move to block his extradition from the US to India. The 63-year-old Pakistani-Canadian, currently jailed in Los Angeles, filed an emergency plea with the US Supreme Court on Wednesday, arguing he faces torture and an unfair trial if sent to India.
Rana’s lawyers claim his health is failing fast. They list serious conditions like an advanced cardiac aneurysm, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, and possible bladder cancer, saying he might not live long enough for a trial. “He can’t be sent into a hornets’ nest,” they argue, pointing to “national, religious, and cultural animosity” against him as a Muslim of Pakistani origin in India.
The plea leans on a 2023 Human Rights Watch report alleging discrimination against Muslims under India’s BJP-led government—a claim India has dismissed as baseless. Rana’s team also calls India’s government “increasingly autocratic,” doubting his chance at a fair trial. This comes after the US Supreme Court rejected his review petition on January 21, clearing his extradition path.
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Last month, during PM Narendra Modi’s US visit, President Donald Trump approved Rana’s handover, branding him “very evil” for his role in the 26/11 attacks. Rana, tied to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist David Headley, allegedly helped plan the Mumbai carnage that targeted landmarks like the Taj Mahal Hotel. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) charged him in 2011 alongside eight others.
Government sources told India Today that the NIA is ready to fetch Rana once the US greenlights the move—legal papers are already shared. If extradited, he’d face trial in a special NIA court, joining Ajmal Kasab (executed in 2012) and Abu Jundal as the third accused tried in India.
