Tahawwur Rana seeks court’s nod to communicate with family from jail

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

The petition was filed on Tuesday and requests access to facilities provided by the jail authorities for family interaction, in accordance with existing regulations.

Rana, a close associate of David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani—the U.S. citizen who was one of the main conspirators in the 2008 Mumbai attacks—was extradited to India earlier this year after the U.S. Supreme Court on April 4 dismissed his final plea challenging extradition.


Hours after being remanded to judicial custody by a Delhi court earlier this month, Rana was transferred to Tihar Jail amid heavy security deployment. He was produced before Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Judge Chander Jit Singh, just a day before his NIA custody was set to expire.

According to a jail source, Rana entered the Tihar Jail complex through gate number four. Following a medical examination conducted by jail doctors, he was lodged in jail number two—a high-security cell designated for high-risk inmates.

"Security guards have been stationed outside his cell, and his movements will be monitored round-the-clock," a source told PTI. Jail authorities, however, have not issued any official statement regarding his placement or security arrangements.

The extradition and incarceration of Tahawwur Rana mark a significant development in the long-running investigation into the 26/11 attacks, which left 166 people dead and hundreds injured across multiple locations in Mumbai in November 2008.