NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday reserved its order on a plea filed by Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national accused of terrorism, seeking permission to communicate telephonically with his family.
The application, moved before the Patiala House Court, drew strong arguments from both sides. Rana’s counsel, Advocate Piyush Sachdeva, contended that as a foreign national currently held in custody, Rana retains the fundamental right to contact his family, who remain deeply distressed over his welfare and the conditions of his confinement.
The NIA, however, opposed the request, citing ongoing investigative imperatives. The agency expressed apprehensions that any unsupervised communication could compromise the integrity of the probe, particularly if Rana were to disclose sensitive or classified information.
Special Judge Chander Jit Singh, who presided over the matter, is expected to pronounce the order on Thursday. Earlier this week, the same court had issued notice to the NIA on Rana’s application, demanding a formal response to the request for telephonic access. The 64-year-old businessman, originally from Pakistan but holding Canadian citizenship, was sent to 18 days of custody on April 10 after he was extradited from the US.
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.
Rana, a close associate of Headley, was brought to India after the US Supreme Court rejected his appeal against extradition on April . Rana has been booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.