US SC denies Rana’s request to stop extradition to India

Washington, April 7: The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition by Tahawwur Rana to stop his extradition to India to face legal consequences for his role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed 157 people.
“Application (…) denied by the Court,” read the Supreme Court docket as updated Monday.
Rana had tried to stop his extradition, citing fears of torture, citing a UK case.
“A man convicted of money laundering was prevented from being extradited by a London court upholding his fears of torture. If that person could not be extradited to India because he was likely to be tortured, the petitioner is even more likely to be tortured and similarly should not be extradited,” Tillman J. Finley, counsel to Rana, said in the application.
The application was rejected by Justice Elena Kagan in March. Rana went on appeal to Chief Justice John Roberts, and the matter was posted for conference on Friday.
The justices’ verdict was posted on Monday.
Rana is wanted in India for helping David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American found guilty by a US jury of scoping out the targets hit by the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba terrorists in 2008.
Although he was acquitted by a US jury of providing material support for the attacks, he was found guilty of two other charges for which he was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.
Due to failing health in the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic, he was ordered to be released from jail. But he was rearrested for extradition to India.
Headley had secured himself a guarantee against extradition in a plea deal with US authorities.
Rana appealed against his extradition and had now exhausted his legal options with his appeal to the chief justice being denied.
President Donald Trump had announced his extradition to India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House in February.
Rana had subsequently gone to the Supreme Court to stop his extradition.
It could not be immediately ascertained how soon he will be on a flight to India. (IANS)