NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has appointed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan and Advocate Narender Mann as lead prosecutors in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) case against Tahawwur Rana, officials said on Friday.
According to officials, the MHA in a notification said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 15 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 (34 of 2008), read with sub-section (8) of Section 18 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, the Central Government hereby appoints a team of Special Public Prosecutors, led by Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, alongside S.V. Raju, Additional Solicitor General, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan and Advocate Narender Mann (previously notified as Special Public Prosecutors).”
It further stated, “This team will oversee the trial and all related proceedings concerning the NIA case before the Special Courts in Delhi, the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India.”
In the notification, the MHA added that the appointed law officers’ tenure “will extend for three years from the publication date of this notification or until the completion of the trial, whichever occurs first”, under the terms and conditions outlined in the Department of Legal Affairs’ notification.
On May 9, Tahawwur Rana, a key conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was presented before the Patiala House Court from NIA remand a day earlier than the scheduled date due to security concerns, and the Special Court has ordered his judicial custody until June 6, 2025.
Rana, a 64-year-old Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin, was extradited from the United States earlier this month in connection with his alleged role in the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.