Tahawwur Rana moves NIA court seeking permission to speak to family from jail

Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks conspiracy, moved the Patiala House Court on Tuesday seeking permission to communicate with his family while in judicial custody.

The plea, filed earlier in the day, requests that he be granted access to facilities for family interaction in line with the provisions permitted by jail regulations.

Rana, known to be a close associate of David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani—a US citizen and one of the chief conspirators in the 2008 Mumbai attacks—was extradited to India earlier this year. His extradition followed the US Supreme Court's dismissal on April 4 of his final appeal against being sent to India.

Shortly after a Delhi court remanded him to judicial custody earlier this month, Rana was transferred to Tihar Jail under heavy security. He was presented before



Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Judge Chander Jit Singh a day before the expiration of his NIA custody.

According to a source within the jail, Rana entered Tihar Jail through gate number four. After undergoing a medical examination by prison medical staff, he was assigned to jail number two, a high-security facility reserved for inmates considered high-risk.

“Security personnel have been posted outside his cell, and his activities will be monitored around the clock,” the source said. Jail authorities have not released any formal statement on his accommodation or the security arrangements in place.

Rana’s extradition and detention represent a major step forward in the investigation into the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which claimed 166 lives and left hundreds injured in coordinated assaults across several locations in the city.