NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday granted permission for Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, to speak to his family members via a one-time phone call.
Special Judge Chander Jit Singh of the Patiala House Courts allowed the request under strict conditions. The call must follow the jail manual and will take place under the supervision of Tihar Jail authorities.
The court also requested a fresh report on Rana’s health, which must be submitted within 10 days. In addition, the judge directed jail authorities to file a report clarifying whether Rana should be allowed regular phone calls going forward.
Rana, a 64-year-old businessman of Pakistani origin who holds Canadian citizenship, is currently in judicial custody. He was extradited to India after the US Supreme Court, on April 4, rejected his review plea against the extradition order.
Rana is known to be a close associate of David Coleman Headley (also known as Daood Gilani), the main conspirator behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and a US citizen.
The Delhi Legal Services Authority appointed Advocate Piyush Sachdeva to represent Rana in the proceedings.
According to the NIA, David Coleman Headley, the key conspirator, had shared details of the entire plan with Rana before coming to India. Expecting possible problems, Headley had also emailed Rana with information about his personal belongings and assets.
The agency further claimed that Headley told Rana about the role of two Pakistani nationals, Ilyas Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman, who are also accused of being part of the plot.
On November 26, 2008, ten Pakistani terrorists entered Mumbai by sea and carried out a deadly coordinated attack. They targeted a railway station, two luxury hotels, and a Jewish centre. The attack lasted nearly 60 hours and killed 166 people. The court has imposed stringent conditions on the custody of Rana, as the NIA had pressed forward with its explosive claim: that Rana may have conspired to orchestrate terror attacks in cities beyond Mumbai.