Delhi court extends Tahawwur Rana’s judicial custody till August 13

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana until August 13. He appeared before the Patiala House Court via video conferencing after the expiry of his previous remand.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) submitted a supplementary charge sheet against Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national and former officer in the Pakistan Army’s Medical Corps. The filing, which follows the initial 2012 charge sheet, includes his arrest memo, seizure records, and other documents.

Rana, extradited from the US, is accused of facilitating the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks by allegedly passing handwritten notes, maps, and instructions to co-accused David Coleman Headley. The NIA has collected Rana’s voice and handwriting samples to match with intercepted communications involving Headley.

Rana’s counsel had earlier raised concerns over his deteriorating health, prompting a special NIA court on June 6 to request a status report from Tihar Jail authorities. The agency has also indicated plans to take Rana to Mumbai and other cities to reconstruct events linked to the attack, which killed 166 people.

During interrogation, Rana denied involvement in the planning or execution of the attack, claiming Headley—his childhood friend—was solely responsible for the reconnaissance. Headley, currently jailed in the US, had turned approver and admitted to conducting surveillance missions in multiple Indian cities on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Rana also told investigators he had visited Kerala to meet an acquaintance and shared the person’s details with authorities.

The case continues to be probed under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

(inputs from IANS)