Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, has approached a Delhi court seeking permission to speak with his family members.
Rana filed the application through his lawyer on April 19 before Special Judge Hardeep Kaur. The Delhi Patiala House Court has since issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in response to the plea. The matter is scheduled for hearing on April 23.
Rana was one of the main conspirators behind 26/11 attacks alongside his associate David Headley
The 64-year-old Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, who is a close associate of David Coleman Headley—the key conspirator behind the 2008 attacks—was remanded to 18 days’ custody on April 10.
In anticipation of possible complications, Headley had reportedly emailed Rana with details of his possessions and assets, the agency told the court while seeking Rana’s remand.
The NIA further alleged that Headley had informed Rana about the involvement of Pakistani nationals Ilyas Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman—both co-accused—in the terror plot.
Rana, a close aide of David Coleman Headley (also known as Daood Gilani), was extradited to India after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his plea challenging the extradition order on April 4.
NIA court had said that Rana was plotting to make a 26/11 style attack in New Delhi
In its April 10 order, the NIA court noted that Rana had helped identify New Delhi as a potential target for attacks similar to the 26/11 strikes, indicating that the conspiracy extended beyond India’s borders.
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Quoting Special Judge Chander Jit Singh, PTI reported: “The materials on record indicate that the conspiracy in question transcended India’s geographical boundaries, with multiple sites across different Indian cities—including the national capital—being marked as potential targets.”
The 2008 Mumbai attacks saw 10 heavily armed Pakistani terrorists enter the city via the Arabian Sea and carry out coordinated assaults at a railway station, two luxury hotels, and a Jewish centre. The 60-hour siege left 166 people dead and hundreds injured.
