US Supreme Court Rejects Rana Tahawwur’s Plea To Stop Extradition To India

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC– The United States Supreme Court has denied a final plea by Tahawwur Rana—accused of aiding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks—seeking to block his extradition to India. The decision marks a significant step toward bringing Rana to trial in India for his role in the attacks that claimed 166 lives, including six Americans.

Rana, a 64-year-old Canadian national of Pakistani origin, filed an emergency application for a stay on his extradition, citing deteriorating health and fears of persecution in India. He claimed that his medical conditions—including a life-threatening abdominal aortic aneurysm, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, and a suspected bladder tumor—would make extradition tantamount to a death sentence. He also argued that he would be targeted in India due to national, religious, and cultural animosity.

His plea was initially rejected by Justice Elena Kagan in March and later referred by Chief Justice John Roberts to the full bench. The Supreme Court officially denied the application on April 7, moving Rana closer to being handed over to Indian authorities.

Rana is currently detained in a federal facility in Los Angeles. He was convicted in 2011 for providing material support to the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba and for involvement in a separate plot targeting a Danish newspaper. US prosecutors say that Rana helped his longtime associate, David Coleman Headley, conduct reconnaissance for the Mumbai attacks by using Rana’s immigration business as cover.

India has long sought his extradition. (with ANI inputs)