Centre appoints Narender Mann to conduct 26/11 trial against Tahawwur Rana

Narender Mann appointed Special Public Prosecutor for Mumbai attacks; to represent agency in Delhi courts for three years or until trial concludes

The Ministry of Home Affairs has appointed advocate Narender Mann as the Special Public Prosecutor for the high-profile National Investigation Agency (NIA) case linked to Mumbai’s 26/11 attacks.

 

According to a notification issued on April 9, Mann will represent the NIA in the case (against Tahawwur Hussain Rana and David Coleman Headley) before NIA Special Courts in Delhi and Appellate Courts. His appointment is for a term of three years or until the trial concludes, whichever is earlier.

 

The appointment has been made under the powers vested by the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.  The development comes as Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks case, is expected to land in India  today following his extradition from the United States. He is likely to land in Delhi and may be placed in a high-security unit at Tihar Jail, according to news reports.   

Rana, 64, a Canadian national originally from Pakistan, is known to be a close associate of David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani — a key conspirator in the Mumbai attacks and a US national.

Who is Tahawwur Rana and what was his role in 26/11 attacks

Tahawwur Rana, born in 1961, in Chichawatni, Pakistan, is a former Pakistan Army Medical Corps captain who later turned to business, running an immigration services company. He is known for his links to the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the group behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and for his association with David Coleman Headley, one of the key planners of the assault.

 

Investigating agencies say Rana was instrumental in enabling Headley’s missions in India. He reportedly helped Headley secure an Indian visa and set up a front office in Mumbai disguised as an immigration consultancy, which was used for surveillance of intended targets. These included high-profile locations such as Chabad Houses and the National Defence College. Rana was allegedly aware of Headley's terror affiliations and supported his operations.

 

In October 2009, the FBI arrested Rana in Chicago for providing support to terror activities. In 2011, a US court convicted him in connection with a planned attack in Denmark but cleared him of charges related to the Mumbai attacks due to jurisdictional issues. India requested his extradition in 2020. Despite citing medical issues, his legal appeals were dismissed, and the US Supreme Court rejected his final plea recently. He now faces trial under Indian anti-terror laws.

26/11 Mumbai attacks

 

The 26/11 Mumbai attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist strikes that unfolded over nearly three days, from November 26 to 29, 2008. Ten LeT operatives of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) carried out the attacks at multiple high-profile locations across Mumbai. Targets included the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), and Nariman House. The attackers were heavily armed with assault rifles, grenades, and explosives, launching indiscriminate shootings and bombings that left 175 people dead — including nine of the attackers — and injured more than 300 others. The siege lasted around 60 hours.