WASHINGTON, Dec 19: The United States Government has requested that the Supreme Court reject the petition for a writ of certiorari submitted by Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani descent, who is convicted in the Mumbai attacks, regarding his extradition to India.
India is pursuing Rana’s extradition since he is wanted in connection with the Mumbai terror attack case. After unsuccessful attempts in lower courts and various federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Rana filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the US Supreme Court on November 13.
This represents Rana’s final legal avenue to avoid extradition to India.
“The petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied,” stated US Solicitor General Elizabeth B Prelogar in her December 16 filing with the Supreme Court.
She contended in a 20-page document that Rana does not qualify for relief from extradition to India in this matter.
In his petition, Rana argues that he was acquitted in the federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) on charges linked to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack. “India now seeks to extradite him for trial on charges stemming from the same conduct addressed in the Chicago case,” his plea asserts.
Prelogar countered this claim.
“The government does not concede that all of the conduct for which India seeks extradition was included in the government’s prosecution in the United States. For example, India’s forgery charges partially relate to actions not covered in the US case: specifically, Rana’s use of false information to formally open a branch office of the Immigration Law Centre submitted to the Reserve Bank of India,” the US Solicitor General explained.
“It remains uncertain whether the jury’s decision in this case—pertaining to conspiracy charges and somewhat intricate—implies that he has been ‘convicted or acquitted’ regarding all specific conduct for which India has charged him,” noted Prelogar. (PTI)
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