NEW DELHI: With the extradition process of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, now complete and his expected arrival in New Delhi by noon today, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has appointed Advocate Narender Mann as the Special Public Prosecutor in the case.
In an order, a copy of which is with this newspaper, the MHA said, “Mann will conduct trials and other matters related to NIA case RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI (against Tahawwur Hussain Rana and David Coleman Headley) on behalf of the National Investigation Agency before the NIA Special Courts at Delhi and Appellate Courts for a period of 3 years from the date of publication of the notification or till the completion of the trial of the said case, whichever is earlier.”
According to sources, Rana was handed over to Indian authorities in Los Angeles. Upon his arrival in New Delhi, a multi-agency team comprising intelligence officials, NIA officers and criminology psychologists will interrogate him.
Sources said the interrogation will focus on Rana’s connections to Pakistani state actors, the ISI network, and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s operations in India.
Amid heightened security concerns over Rana’s presence in India, top government functionaries, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, held a review meeting on Wednesday to discuss arrangements. Due to these concerns, Rana’s court proceedings may be held in camera, sources added.
Former NIA chief YC Modi termed Rana’s extradition a significant diplomatic and legal achievement for India. He told the media that “in the Rana’s case there was the political will of India as well as America, which allowed the process to move forward.”
Sources close to the investigation team said that Rana’s questioning is expected to focus on the involvement of Pakistani state actors in the 26/11 attacks, the structure and operations of the ISI network, as well as Lashkar-e-Taiba’s collaborators in India and its funding channels.
Investigators believe that extracting information from Rana may be a challenging and prolonged process, as he is considered a hardened operative who may attempt to mislead the investigation.