New Delhi, April 10: In a significant development ahead of the anticipated extradition of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the Central government has appointed a Special Public Prosecutor to lead the trial in the case.
A late-night notification issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that advocate Narender Mann has been designated as the Special Public Prosecutor for the case registered as RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The notification stated:
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 15 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 (34 of 2008), read with sub-section (8) of section 18 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), the central government hereby appoints Narender Mann, advocate, as Special Public Prosecutor for conducting trial and other matters related to NIA case RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI on behalf of the National Investigation Agency before the NIA Special Courts at Delhi and Appellate Courts, for a period of three years from the date of publication of this notification or till the completion of trial of the said case, whichever is earlier.”
Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian national, is currently in US custody and is expected to be extradited to India shortly. He is wanted for his alleged involvement in planning and facilitating the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which over 170 people lost their lives.
The appointment of a Special Public Prosecutor signals that India is preparing to expedite the legal proceedings in this high-profile case, which has drawn international attention.
