On Wednesday night, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a gazetted notification appointing advocate Narender Mann as Special Public Prosecutor for a period of three years. This comes just a day before the expected arrival of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who is being extradited from the United States for his alleged involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
In the official notification, Joint Secretary Abhijit Sinha said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 15 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, read with sub-section (8) of section 18 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), the Central Government hereby appoints Narender Mann, Advocate, as Special Public Prosecutor to handle trial and related matters in NIA case RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI before the NIA Special Courts at Delhi and Appellate Courts, for a period of three years from the date of this notification or until the trial concludes, whichever is earlier”.
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On Wednesday night, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a gazetted notification appointing advocate Narender Mann as Special Public Prosecutor for Tahawwur Rana’s case. ( Screenshot of MHA’s notification)
What the NIA said on this matter
The NIA confirmed that the case — RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI — pertains to the conspiracy behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, also known as the Headley case.
As per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ order dated November 11, 2009, the NIA had registered the case under Sections 121A of the Indian Penal Code, Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and Section 6(2) of the SAARC Convention (Suppression of Terrorism) Act. The accused include David Coleman Headley (a U.S. citizen) and Tahawwur Hussain Rana (a Canadian citizen), among others.
In it’s statement the agency said, “David Headley and Tahawwur Rana had both conspired with members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islami (HuJI), both designated terrorist organizations based in Pakistan, to carry out terrorist activities in New Delhi and other locations in India.”
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Amit Shah hails Rana’s Extradition to India
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed Rana’s extradition as a significant diplomatic victory.
“This is a major success for Prime Minister Modi’s diplomacy. The Modi government is determined to ensure that anyone who attacks India’s sovereignty, people, or territory is brought to justice. Rana will now face trial and be punished. It’s a major achievement.” Amit Shah said this while speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit.
