Rana's lawyer wrote to Rubio to stop his extradition to India

Around the time the Donald Trump administration approved Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India in February this year, his lawyer John D Cline made last-ditch attempts to save him by writing a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio citing his health and possibility of torture in India.

- Neeraj Chauhan

NEW DELHI: However, Rubio's office put its foot down.

Rather, Rubio's office said that the decision to send Rana to India complies with the obligations under United Nations' Convention Against Torture (CAT). The decision was also endorsed by the district judge and ninth circuit court of California, which originally denied his pleas against extradition in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

HT has accessed these letters exchanged between Cline and Rubio's office about a couple of months ago, as well as the district judge and ninth circuit court's opinion.

On the same day the US Supreme Court rejected Rana's plea against extradition, on January 21 this year, Cline wrote to Rubio requesting him to "deny surrender of his client for extradition to India" and sought an opportunity to meet Rubio to explain in more detail the basis of his request.

Cline sought the relief for Rana on four grounds — "he was previously tried and acquitted in a federal court in Chicago for the same conduct" — his alleged assistance in Mumbai attacks; "he played at most a peripheral role in David Headley's plot"; "human rights record and jail conditions in India"; and his "deteriorating health".