Who's Dayan Krishnan, lawyer leading the prosecution against Tahawwur Rana?

Senior lawyer Dayan Krishnan, who represented India in the legal fight to bring Tahawwur Rana back from the US, will now lead the prosecution against him in Delhi. Rana, a close aide of 26/11 key conspirator David Coleman Headley, is finally being brought to India after a long legal battle.

 

Rana is accused of helping Headley carry out surveillance in India before the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which 166 people were killed.

 

Who is on the legal team?

 

Krishnan, who has worked on the extradition case since 2010, will now head the team of lawyers from the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He will be supported by Special Prosecutor Narender Mann, a well-known criminal lawyer who has worked with the CBI.

 

 

The team also includes lawyers Sanjeevi Sheshadri and Sridhar Kale, along with legal experts from the NIA.

 

How was Rana’s extradition approved?

 

The legal process saw a big breakthrough on 16 May 2023, when a US judge in California allowed Rana’s extradition. His lawyer argued that he was being punished twice for the same crime, known as ‘double jeopardy’. But Krishnan convinced the court that this was a different crime and involved different facts.

 

The court agreed with Krishnan’s argument and ruled in favour of India.

 

What happened after that?

 

Even after losing the first round, Rana kept appealing:

 

- 10 August 2023: A US District Judge dismissed his appeal  

 

- 15 August 2024: The US Court of Appeals also rejected his plea  

 

- 21 January 2025: The US Supreme Court refused to hear his case  

 

- 4 April 2025: His final review was dismissed, clearing the way for extradition  

 

Who is Tahawwur Rana?

 

Rana is a 64-year-old Canadian citizen, originally from Pakistan. He is known to be a close friend of David Headley, who helped plan the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Rana is accused of helping Headley during his visits to India, while pretending to be on business trips.

 

What happened on 26/11?

 

On 26 November 2008, ten Pakistani terrorists entered Mumbai by sea and attacked several places — the CST railway station, Taj Mahal Hotel, Oberoi Trident, and a Jewish centre. The attack lasted three days and killed 166 people, including foreigners. It is one of the deadliest terror attacks in India’s history.

 

Now, with Rana’s return to India, a new chapter begins in the fight for justice for the victims of 26/11.