26/11 Mumbai terror attack: Tahawwur Rana files another request with US top court to stay extradition to India

The Mumbai terror accused Tahawwur Rana filed another plea with US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to stay his extradition to India after US Supreme Court Judge Elena Kagan rejected his review petition on March 6.

“Petitioner Tahawwar Rana has renewed his Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, which was previously addressed to Justice Kagan, and requests that the renewed application be directed to Chief Justice Roberts,” his appeal said, according to the order published on the US Supreme Court’s website.

The US Supreme Court website mentioned that the application had been distributed to the top court judges, who will consider it on April 4, 2025. A few of the distributed cases are generally discussed in detail, while others may be put aside without discussion. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States last month, in a joint press conference, President Donald Trump said that his administration had allowed Rana's extradition, calling him a “very evil man”.

Citing that he will not be able to survive for long if tried in India due to health-related reasons, in his appeal, Rana stated, “If a stay is not granted, there will be no review at all, and the US courts will lose jurisdiction, leaving the petitioner in imminent danger of death.” Speaking of his health status, he has a 3.5 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm at the immediate hazard of rupture, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, and a mass suggestive of bladder cancer.

Who is Tahawwur Rana?

Rana, 63, is considered close to terrorist David Headley, a member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group and one of the key persons behind the Mumbai attacks, which claimed 166 lives. He is held in a Los Angeles prison. In 2011, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a chargesheet against Rana and eight others for their role in planning and facilitating the Mumbai attacks. His alleged involvement in carrying out the attacks has been a contentious matter between India and the United States for years.