In a major step forward in the prosecution of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, the Central Government has appointed a Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) team led by Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta. The move follows the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian-American national of Pakistani origin, who is now facing trial in India for his alleged involvement in the attacks.
Rana was extradited from the United States under the India–U.S. Extradition Treaty and is presently in judicial custody until June 6. He is being prosecuted under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), and the Indian Penal Code, 1860, in relation to his alleged role in the conspiracy and facilitation of terrorist acts on Indian soil.
The appointed prosecutorial team also comprises Additional Solicitor General SV Raju and Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, and Senior Advocate Narender Mann. The team will represent the National Investigation Agency (NIA), constituted under the NIA Act, 2008, before the Special NIA Court in Delhi, as well as the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India, as proceedings progress.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, born in Pakistan in 1961 and a former doctor in the Pakistani Army, migrated to Canada in the 1990s and obtained citizenship in the early 2000s. Indian investigative authorities assert that he has longstanding ties with David Coleman Headley, an operative of Pakistani-American origin who conducted reconnaissance missions for the 2008 attacks. Headley, currently serving a sentence in a U.S. prison, had testified that Rana facilitated the operation by providing financial and logistical support.
The NIA has further alleged that Rana maintained active connections with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Pakistani Army, and the proscribed terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which was the primary group behind the coordinated terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed over 170 lives.
The case marks a critical juncture in India’s continuing pursuit of justice for the victims of the 26/11 attacks and highlights the international cooperation underpinning counter-terrorism frameworks.
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