Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, May 15: The Indian government has constituted a high-profile legal team, headed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, to lead the prosecution in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case against Pakistani-Canadian terrorist Tahawwur Hussain Rana.

In a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the team has been appointed under the provisions of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Alongside Mehta, the prosecution team includes Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, and advocate Narender Mann. They will represent the NIA in proceedings related to case RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI before the NIA Special Courts in Delhi, the Delhi High Court, and the Supreme Court of India for a term of three years or until the trial concludes, whichever is earlier.

The case pertains to the involvement of Tahawwur Rana and David Coleman Headley in the planning of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which left 166 dead and over 230 injured. Both are accused of being part of a broader conspiracy orchestrated by the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group based in Pakistan.

After years of diplomatic efforts, the NIA successfully secured Rana’s extradition from the United States, and he was formally arrested upon arrival in India on April 10.

The appointment of this elite legal panel underscores the government's resolve to ensure justice is served in one of the most devastating terror attacks in India’s history.