Ontario: Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, had his extradition to India held by a US court on August 18, 2023. Rana is accused of providing material support to the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people.
Rana was convicted in a US court in 2011 of providing material support to LeT, but he was acquitted of the more serious charge of helping to plan the Mumbai attacks. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, but he was released in 2016.
India had requested Rana’s extradition in 2017, and a US court approved the request in May 2023. However, Rana challenged the extradition order, arguing that he would not receive a fair trial in India.
In his ruling, US District Judge Dale S. Fischer said that Rana had raised “serious concerns” about his treatment in India. He noted that Rana had been tortured in the past, and he expressed concern that he would be tortured again if he were extradited.
Fischer also said that Rana had a strong likelihood of success on appeal. He noted that the Indian government had not provided assurances that Rana would not be tortured, and he said that the Indian legal system did not meet international standards.
As a result of Fischer’s ruling, Rana’s extradition to India has been stayed pending the outcome of his appeal. The appeal is expected to be heard by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The stay on Rana’s extradition is a setback for India, which has been seeking to bring him to justice for his alleged role in the Mumbai attacks. However, the ruling also shows that the US government is committed to protecting the rights of its citizens, even when they are accused of serious crimes.
It remains to be seen whether Rana will be extradited to India in the end. However, the stay on his extradition is a reminder of the complex legal and political issues that can arise in cases of international extradition.