A Delhi court has reserved its decision on an application by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seeking a 12-day extension of custody for Tahawwur Hussain Rana, one of the key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The court’s ruling is expected shortly after the NIA presented its case.
#WATCH | 26/11 terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana being taken from Delhi’s Patiala House Court.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court extended his custody for 12 days pic.twitter.com/Ux8l2c1AKY
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025
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Rana was brought before Special NIA Judge Chander Jit Singh on Monday after the expiry of his 18-day NIA custody. Security was tight during the proceedings, and Rana appeared in court with his face covered. His lawyer, Piyush Sachdeva from the Delhi Legal Services Authority, is representing him in the case.
The NIA, in its plea, argued that an extension of Rana’s custody was essential to further investigate and piece together the full scope of the conspiracy behind the 26/11 attacks. The agency requested additional time to take Rana to various locations for retracing the events that occurred 17 years ago.
Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and special public prosecutor Narender Mann are expected to continue representing the NIA during in-chamber proceedings as the case unfolds.
During the court’s earlier order, Rana was remanded to NIA custody for 18 days. The judge instructed the NIA to conduct a medical examination of Rana every 24 hours and to allow him to meet with his lawyer every alternate day. The court also mandated that Rana could only use a “soft-tip pen” and that his meetings with the lawyer would be held in the presence of NIA officials, who would remain at a distance, unable to overhear their conversations.
Tahawwur Rana, a close associate of 26/11 mastermind David Coleman Headley, was extradited to India after the US Supreme Court dismissed his review plea against extradition on April 4. Rana, a US citizen, had been a significant player in the conspiracy that led to the deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani militants carried out a coordinated attack across several sites in Mumbai, including a railway station, two luxury hotels, and a Jewish center. The attack, which lasted nearly 60 hours, resulted in the deaths of 166 people.