Mumbai attack accused Rana files renewed plea after US SC refuses to stay extradition

Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana has submitted a renewed application to Chief Justice John Roberts seeking a stay of his extradition to India after the US Supreme Court rejected his emergency petition.

Rana (64), a close associate of prime accused David Coleman Headley, is serving supervised detention at a metropolitan centre in Los Angeles after completing a 14-year sentence in 2023.

As per the US Supreme Court website, his application for stay of extradition had been denied. “Application… denied by Justice Elena Kagan,” a note read. Following the rejection, Rana immediately submitted the "renewed application for stay" and requested that his renewed application be directed to Chief Justice Roberts.

A Canadian national of Pakistani origin, Rana had submitted the emergency application on February 27 claiming he faced the risk of torture in India. He also argued that his extradition would violate international and US legal protections against torture.

“A stay is necessary and needed on an emergency basis because the government is likely to surrender the petitioner to India if a stay is not granted, which would moot petitioner’s habeas petition and prevent any further proceedings thereon,” the plea stated.

In January, the US Supreme Court had denied a petition of writ of certiorari filed by Rana seeking to prevent his extradition. The writ had been file in November 2024 against an earlier order of a lower court that had ruled in favour of his extradition. A writ of certiorari is a legal document that allows a higher court to review a case from a lower court.

On February 14, US President Donald Trump had announced Rana’s extradition to India during a joint press conference in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington.

Rana's legal team emphasised that he, now 64, was in deteriorating health and unlikely to survive long enough to stand trial in India. The team also claimed that “India’s criminal justice system had a documented history of human rights violations, referencing US State Department reports detailing instances of custodial torture and mistreatment of detainees”.

Rana, in his plea, had also claimed that his identity as a "Muslim of Pakistani origin", along with his past service in the Pakistan army, would put him at a “greater risk of mistreatment in India”.