Access to Headley: India to send new team to US

All bottlenecks have been removed and a new team will be sent to the US to pursue the matter of India's access to David Headley, who has confessed to his involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks, Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said today.

"...All the bottlenecks are removed and we have a way forward. So it's up to us to operationalise the plan forward," Subramanium told reporters here.

The law officer, who met his US counterparts said, "Once we are ready to constitute our team, and get off board from India, the access should be possible."

He was asked as to how early India could access to Headley.
   
He appreciated the "unstinted cooperation" from the US authorities and said he had a "very fruitful" round of discussions with American authorities.
    
Subramaniam's five-day visit was primarily aimed at understanding the US legal system within which India could get access to Headley, a Pakistani-American national, sources said.
    
He discussed with officials of the US Justice Department modalities for access to Headley, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, in an appropriate legal format.
    
India wants to question Headley in a manner that his statement would be acceptable in a court of law here. In this regard, a chargesheet would also be required to be filed against Headley in India.
    
Headley, who was arrested in October last, has entered into a plea bargain with the US government wherein he has offered to be available to foreign investigators through deposition, video conferencing or letters rogatory.
    
Subramaniam had earlier advised the government to settle for nothing less than Headley's extradition to ensure his thorough custodial interrogation.
    
Headley has told his America interrogators that he had several times conducted recce for the Mumbai attacks. He has also revealed that a serving Pakistani Army Major had given training to him in Pakistan.