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26/11 accused's bid to block extradition to India rejected by US Supreme Court
Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was seeking to get his extradition to India stopped arguing he would be subjected to “torture”.
The Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday, March 6, rejected the "emergency application" of Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, who was seeking to get his extradition to India stopped arguing he would be subjected to “torture”.
According to the US Supreme Court website, Tahawwur Rana's application (24A852) was denied by Justice Kagan.
Also Read: 26/11 convict Tahawwur Rana loses extradition appeal in US. Here's what's next for him
Tahawwur Rana, 64, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani descent, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention center in Los Angeles. He is linked to David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist and one of the main conspirators behind the Mumbai attacks.
What Tahawwur Rana told US SC
Tahawwur Rana submitted an "Emergency Application for Stay" to the Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, requesting that his extradition be delayed until all legal appeals are exhausted.
In the application, Tahawwur Rana asserted that his extradition violates US law and the United Nations Convention Against Torture, arguing there are substantial grounds to believe that he would face torture if sent to India. He further claimed that, as a Muslim of Pakistani origin, his chances of being tortured are even higher.
The application also highlighted Tahawwur Rana's serious medical conditions, claiming that his extradition to Indian detention would effectively be a "death sentence." According to medical records from July 2024, Rana suffers from several “life-threatening conditions”, including multiple heart attacks, Parkinson's disease with cognitive decline, possible bladder cancer, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, and a history of asthma and Covid-19 infections.
Also Read | India working out logistics for extradition of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana: MEA
“Counsel further noted that petitioner is not likely to survive such treatment in light of his continually declining health, which includes multiple acute and life-threatening diagnoses, including a 3.5 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm at immediate risk of rupture under conditions of stress or physical exertion, two other bilateral iliac aneurysms further exacerbating risk of catastrophic internal hemorrhage, multiple documented heart attacks, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, a mass suggestive of bladder cancer, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, and a history of chronic asthma, COPD, and multiple Covid-19 infections,” Rana's emergency application for stay uploaded on US Supreme Court website read.
Tahawwur Rana's legal team argued that, due to his health and the context of his charges in the Mumbai attacks, he is at a heightened risk of torture, which could lead to his death. They contended that the US government’s failure to address these concerns undermines the fairness of his extradition process.
