US apex court rejects Rana's last-ditch plea

The US Supreme Court has rejected 26/11 Mumbai attacks co-conspirator Tahawwur Rana's plea seeking an emergency stay on his extradition to India, people familiar with the development said.

- HT Correspondents

NEW DELHI:

Following the denial to entertain his plea by a US Supreme Court judge, Justice Elena Kagan, the Pakistani-Canadian doctor has now sought to renew his application before the court of chief justice, John G Roberts Jr.

"Petitioner Tahawwar Rana respectfully renews his emergency application for stay pending litigation of petition for writ of habeas corpus previously addressed to Justice Kagan, and requests that the renewed application be directed to Chief Justice Roberts," the application said.

In his first plea filed last week against extradition before Justice Kagan, Rana claimed that being a Muslim of Pakistani origin, and a former Pakistan army officer, the likelihood of his torture in India was high, adding that he was being sent into a "hornet's nest".

Rana cited a recent UK high court decision rejecting arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari's extradition to India on grounds that he could face "torture" to buttress the application.

Indian officials have termed the move futile, although they admitted that it has marginally delayed Rana's surrender to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, till at least the end of March.

"These are desperate attempts to avoid extradition. He won't succeed," said an Indian government official on Friday.