‘Don’t want lawyer who wants to gain name, fame through me’: 26/11 plotter Tahawwur Rana to Delhi court
Rana is being held in a high-security cell with centralised air-conditioning inside the anti-terror agency’s head office at the CGO Complex in the Capital, where gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was earlier lodged.
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After his formal arrest, at around 10 pm on Thursday, Rana was produced by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) before the NIA Special Court at Patiala House where the NIA sought his custody for 20 days and the court allowed 18 days. Tahawwur Rana, one of the key conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, has requested the Delhi Court that “there should not be any counsel, who may appear to earn name and fame through him”.
Rana, accused of providing crucial logistical support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, was extradited to India from the US on Thursday — 16 years after the 26/11 attacks — to face trial. Following his formal arrest at 10 pm, he was produced before the NIA Special Court at Patiala House, where the National Investigation Agency (NIA) sought 20 days’ custody; the court granted 18.
In his order, Additional Sessions Judge (NIA) Chander Jit Singh said, “Accused has submitted that there should not be any counsel, who may appear to earn name and fame through him. Though, the Legal Service Counsels are present pursuant to statutory scheme contained in Legal Services Authority Act, 1987, yet request of accused is accepted and it is directed that Legal Services Counsel shall not speak to Media (Print/Digital/Electronic) about accused of this case. It is also directed that if already details of legal services counsel ate not known to media, they shall not be divulged to media.”
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In his order, the judge further wrote, “As the accused has sought access to certain accessories for giving instructions to his counsel, the accused shall be given a writing instrument with soft tip such as sketch and paper(s) to write instructions for his counsel… After completion of oral hearing at about 11.50 pm on April 10, order is pronounced dictation, typing and signature at around 2 am on April 11.”
Rana is being held in a high-security cell with centralised air-conditioning inside the anti-terror agency’s head office at the CGO Complex in the Capital, where gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was earlier lodged.
The lock-up is on the ground floor and is guarded round the clock by CISF personnel and two NIA officials. “Surveillance is being maintained 24×7, and Rana has been provided with basic necessities, including food and meals from the headquarters canteen,” a source said. Security around the NIA office has been beefed up.
The 64 year old, who once served in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, was arrested in Chicago in October 2009, 11 months after the Mumbai attacks. Elaborating on his role in the 26/11 attacks, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said in its statement on Friday that India has alleged Rana facilitated a fraudulent cover to enable his childhood friend, David Coleman Headley — a US citizen born Daood Gilani — to travel freely to Mumbai to conduct surveillance of potential targets for LeT.
“Among other things, Rana allegedly agreed to open a Mumbai branch of his immigration business and appoint Headley as the manager of the office, despite Headley’s having no immigration experience. On two separate occasions, Rana allegedly helped Headley prepare and submit visa applications to Indian authorities that contained information Rana knew to be false. Rana also allegedly supplied, through his unsuspecting business partner, documentation in support of Headley’s attempt to secure formal approval from Indian authorities to open a branch office of Rana’s business,” the DoJ statement reads.
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