In a significant legal development, the U.S. Supreme Court has denied the final emergency application filed by Tahawwur Rana&mdash;an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks&mdash;seeking to halt his extradition to India. The decision brings Rana, a 64-year-old Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, one step closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face prosecution for his alleged role in one of the deadliest terror attacks in India&rsquo;s history.
The court&rsquo;s order, issued on Monday, simply stated: &ldquo;Application denied by the Court,&rdquo; effectively rejecting Rana&rsquo;s renewed &ldquo;Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus.&rdquo; This was his last legal avenue to prevent extradition, following earlier denials by Associate Justice Elena Kagan, who is also the Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit.
Rana has been fighting extradition since being arrested in the United States, where he is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. In 2011, he was convicted by a U.S. court on charges of providing material support to terrorism in connection with a planned attack in Denmark and for aiding the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which orchestrated the Mumbai attacks. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
His association with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley has been central to India&rsquo;s case against him. Headley, a key conspirator of the 26/11 attacks, conducted reconnaissance missions in Mumbai under the guise of working for Rana&rsquo;s immigration consultancy firm. Headley later entered into a plea deal with U.S. authorities and admitted to scouting locations targeted in the attacks.
The 26/11 attacks, which began on November 26, 2008, left 166 people dead and hundreds injured after a group of ten heavily armed terrorists stormed multiple locations in Mumbai, including luxury hotels, the city&rsquo;s main railway station, and a Jewish center. The assault lasted three days and was broadcast live around the world, drawing international condemnation. India has held the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba responsible for the attacks&mdash;a charge Pakistan officially denies.
With the Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision, Rana&rsquo;s extradition proceedings are expected to resume, moving him significantly closer to facing trial in India for his alleged involvement in the Mumbai carnage. The U.S. Department of Justice had earlier backed India&rsquo;s extradition request, stating that the charges against him meet the criteria outlined in the U.S.-India Extradition Treaty.
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Tahawwur Rana accused in 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai

Supreme Court denies Tahawwur Rana’s final plea, clearing path for extradition to India

US Top Court Clears Rana’s Extradition To India

Supreme Court denies Tahawwur Rana’s final plea, clearing path for extradition to India

April 8, 2025 | 07:00 IST