Submitted additional evidence against Tahawwur Rana in fresh charge sheet: NIA
'The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy hatched by David Coleman Headley, Tahawwur Hussain Rana and other members of LeT and HUJI to carry out terrorist attacks in different parts of India. The supplementary chargesheet pertains to the submission of documents regarding the extradition of accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana and additional evidence collected by NIA,' the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
To be sure, NIA filed the main charge sheet against Rana and nine other co-conspirators including David Coleman Headley and LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, way back in 2011.
After filing the fresh charge sheet, NIA said in compliance with a June 6 court order, it has 'submitted a compliance report under Section 207 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) regarding the supply of documents related to the earlier chargesheet filed in 2011'.
Rana was named as an accused by NIA in its charge sheet filed in 2011 along with Headley (currently in the US) six conspirators in Pakistan - Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (Lashkar-e-Taiba chief), Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi (operations chief of LeT), Sajid Majeed alias Sajid Mir (a top commander of LeT), Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed alias Pasha (a retired major in the Pakistani military), Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali (both ISI officers); and two others - LeT's former deputy head and Hafiz Saeed's brother-in-law Abdul Rehman Makki (who died in Lahore in December last year) and Ilyas Kashmiri (leader of al-Qaeda and its Pakistan-based affiliate Harkat-ul Jihad Islami) killed in a US drone strike in June 2011.
Hafiz Saeed was handed out a 78-year jail term in Pakistan in 2020 following US pressure, but Indian officials say that 'he was under the protection of the ISI and freely carries out his group's terror activities'. Similarly, Sajid Mir was said to be arrested and given an eight-year jail term but not much is known about his whereabouts. Lakhvi was also sentenced in 2021 to three consecutive five-year sentences for terror-funding, but Indian agencies believe that he continued to remain active.
No action has ever been taken against the two ISI and one military officer.
'Seven out of 10 conspirators were based in Pakistan at the time of 26/11 attacks, from planning stage to managing the control room. We sent letters of request (letter rogatories) to Pakistan government seeking information and evidence against them but till date, there is no cooperation,' said a senior officer, who asked not to be named.
Rana's friend David Coleman Headley, who conducted the reconnaissance of the targets in Mumbai during multiple visits to India, is currently serving a 35-year jail term in the US.
A medical officer in the Pakistan Army, Rana moved to Canada in 1990 and eventually acquired citizenship. He then shifted to Chicago and opened a consultancy firm. According to Indian agencies, Rana opened a branch of his firm in Mumbai and used it to help Headley gather information about potential targets in Mumbai. During the court proceedings at various stages, federal prosecutors have argued that Rana was aware that his childhood friend was involved with LeT and that by assisting him and affording him cover for his activities, he was supporting the terrorist organisation and its associates.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
43 minutes ago
- Economic Times
'Faulty premises': Jairam Ramesh slams govt after it eases SO2 emission norms
With the government exempting about 78 cent per cent of coal-fired plants from installing key anti-polluting systems, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said the Environment Ministry's rationale for the policy is based on "faulty premises". He asserted that the government's policymaking will continue to be driven by "flawed metrics" in the absence of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) revision. The former environment minister attacked the government after the central government once again extended the deadline for coal-based thermal power plants to comply with sulphur dioxide emission norms and fully exempted those located away from critically polluted areas or cities with a population of over one million. "The Modi Government has already achieved the dubious distinction of having made India the global leader in sulphur dioxide emissions. Now we learn that the Environment Ministry has exempted 78-89% of India's thermal power plants from installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems that cut sulphur dioxide emissions," Ramesh said in a post on X. This is after the deadline for installing FGD systems, initially slated for 2017, was repeatedly pushed, the Congress general secretary said. Sulphur dioxide is a direct threat to public health and has also been known to impact cloud formation, disrupting the monsoon that is the lifeline of the Indian economy, Ramesh said. "More damagingly, research has increasingly shown that a large part of India's ambient PM2.5 (fine particulate matter of diameter less than 2.5 mm) is attributable to secondary particulate matter formed when sulphur dioxide reacts with other compounds," he said. Estimates suggest that anywhere between 12 per cent to 30 per cent of PM2.5 is attributable to such sulphur dioxide compounds, he said. "The Ministry's rationale for this policy is based on two faulty premises. The Ministry had earlier amended the focus of the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) to focus largely on PM10 emissions (particulate matter of less than 10mm diameter). "PM10 is a lot less dangerous to human health than PM2.5 but is more obviously visible and somewhat easier to tackle, since it includes elements such as road dust." he said. By choosing to turn a blind eye towards PM2.5 in its policymaking, the ministry has consigned us to many years more of our ongoing public health crisis - and this decision to tolerate sulphur dioxide compounds is only set to exacerbate this trend, he said. "The Ministry claims that sulphur dioxide levels in India are largely within the limits of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). As we have repeatedly pointed out, the NAAQS were last updated in 2009, when the prevailing levels of particulate matter and emissions were of a decidedly lower order of magnitude, and when the catastrophic public health consequences of particulate matter were not known, Ramesh said. A revision of the NAAQS therefore is long due," he added. In the absence of such a revision, the ministry's policymaking will continue to be driven by flawed metrics, Ramesh said. India established stringent sulphur dioxide emission standards for coal-based power plants in December 2015, requiring compliance within two years. Even after multiple extensions, 92 per cent of coal-fired power plants have not yet installed flue gas desulphurisation units to control SO2 emissions, a major air pollutant that converts into fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and causes a range of diseases. In a notification dated July 11, the Environment Ministry said the compliance deadline for Category A plants, located within a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region or cities with a population of over one million, has been extended from December 2024 to December 2027. Category B plants, situated within a 10-km radius of critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities, will now be assessed on a case-by-case basis instead of adhering to the earlier 2025 deadline. Category C plants -- all others not falling under Category A or B -- have been completely exempted from the sulphur dioxide norms, provided they meet the prescribed stack height criteria by December 31, 2029. These plants were earlier required to comply by December 2026. Of around 600 thermal power units in India, 462 are Category C units and 72 are Category B units. The ministry said it received many representations seeking exemption or relaxation in the timelines of the emission standards due to factors such as the "limited availability of technology providers, its techno-economic feasibility, negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on supply chain, price escalation due to high demand and low supplies, low SO2 concentration in ambient air and heavy burden on consumer due to increase in electricity prices etc".
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Judiciary must perform role of catalyst for LGBTQIA+ rights: Former SC judge Sanjay Kishan Kaul
Former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Sanjay Kishan Kaul said that the judiciary must perform the role of a catalyst for the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons. He was speaking on Saturday at the launch event of a policy document on recommendations for queer inclusion in India's legal and social landscape, organised by Keshav Suri Foundation and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. "The judiciary must perform the role of a catalyst. India's legislative landscape for LGBTQIA+ recognition has evolved, but significant gaps persist. The term queer is not defined in Indian law, and asexual individuals are invisible in policy frameworks," Justice (retd) Kaul said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cardiologist Reveals: The Simple Morning Habit for a Flatter Belly After 50! Lulutox Undo During his keynote address, the former apex court judge also referred to the tennis player Radhika Yadav's murder case. "The challenge that we face in our country, and actually across the world, I think, (about discrimination). See a thing as simple as a man-woman relationship, where a woman chooses on her own -- forget the cities, look at how it dealt with at different levels, inter-caste marriages; people let loose the process which destroy the lives of their children -- the recent episode two days ago where a father shoots her own daughter -- when we talk of problems; please look at the society all around; this also has to change," Justice (retd) Kaul said. Live Events He said that in February this year, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment introduced certain administrative measures for queer couples, including access to ration cards, joint bank accounts, and the right to claim a partner's body in case of death (if no next of kin existed). "These measures, prompted by the Supreme Court's (earlier) judgment, are a step forward but remain limited, as they are not enshrined in statute and do not address comprehensive rights," he said. Justice (retd) Kaul said that anti-discrimination law was more crucial in today's age, where access to capital was the requisite for access to capital. "Starting a business, buying a house or even otherwise bridging personal needs is wholly dependent on factors such as ease of availing loans or finances, opening bank accounts. Undoubtedly, there are barriers to access for LGBTQIA+ persons to even something as routine as opening a bank account, which requires one to carry a document which conforms to gender identity," he said. "An almost existential difficulty faced by LGBTQIA persons is access to goods, financial services and access to public infrastructure," the ex-top court judge added. He said the future of queer rights required action in the realm of the legislature and the executive, with a coordinated effort across various ministries and departments. "There is also, a degree of legislative inertia on the rights and entitlements of queer persons, which risks prolonging the legal limbo for same-sex couples seeking marriage, adoption, or inheritance rights. A conservative attitude still persists across a large populace of the country, which hinders acceptance," said Justice (retd) Kaul. He said that the country was on a path of progressive recognition of the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons and that urban areas and younger generations showed greater openness, even while the rural and conservative communities remained hostile. "I truly believe that the future is more promising than what is behind us, and in the words of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, 'Hope will never be silent," said Justice (retd) Kaul.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Faulty premises': Jairam Ramesh slams govt after it eases SO2 emission norms
With the government exempting about 78 cent per cent of coal-fired plants from installing key anti-polluting systems, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said the Environment Ministry 's rationale for the policy is based on "faulty premises". He asserted that the government's policymaking will continue to be driven by "flawed metrics" in the absence of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) revision. The former environment minister attacked the government after the central government once again extended the deadline for coal-based thermal power plants to comply with sulphur dioxide emission norms and fully exempted those located away from critically polluted areas or cities with a population of over one million. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Irish seniors can get discreet hearing aids this month Hearing Aids Ireland Undo "The Modi Government has already achieved the dubious distinction of having made India the global leader in sulphur dioxide emissions. Now we learn that the Environment Ministry has exempted 78-89% of India's thermal power plants from installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems that cut sulphur dioxide emissions," Ramesh said in a post on X. This is after the deadline for installing FGD systems, initially slated for 2017, was repeatedly pushed, the Congress general secretary said. Live Events Sulphur dioxide is a direct threat to public health and has also been known to impact cloud formation, disrupting the monsoon that is the lifeline of the Indian economy, Ramesh said. "More damagingly, research has increasingly shown that a large part of India's ambient PM2.5 (fine particulate matter of diameter less than 2.5 mm) is attributable to secondary particulate matter formed when sulphur dioxide reacts with other compounds," he said. Estimates suggest that anywhere between 12 per cent to 30 per cent of PM2.5 is attributable to such sulphur dioxide compounds, he said. "The Ministry's rationale for this policy is based on two faulty premises. The Ministry had earlier amended the focus of the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) to focus largely on PM10 emissions (particulate matter of less than 10mm diameter). "PM10 is a lot less dangerous to human health than PM2.5 but is more obviously visible and somewhat easier to tackle, since it includes elements such as road dust." he said. By choosing to turn a blind eye towards PM2.5 in its policymaking, the ministry has consigned us to many years more of our ongoing public health crisis - and this decision to tolerate sulphur dioxide compounds is only set to exacerbate this trend, he said. "The Ministry claims that sulphur dioxide levels in India are largely within the limits of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). As we have repeatedly pointed out, the NAAQS were last updated in 2009, when the prevailing levels of particulate matter and emissions were of a decidedly lower order of magnitude, and when the catastrophic public health consequences of particulate matter were not known, Ramesh said. A revision of the NAAQS therefore is long due," he added. In the absence of such a revision, the ministry's policymaking will continue to be driven by flawed metrics, Ramesh said. India established stringent sulphur dioxide emission standards for coal-based power plants in December 2015, requiring compliance within two years. Even after multiple extensions, 92 per cent of coal-fired power plants have not yet installed flue gas desulphurisation units to control SO2 emissions, a major air pollutant that converts into fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and causes a range of diseases. In a notification dated July 11, the Environment Ministry said the compliance deadline for Category A plants, located within a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region or cities with a population of over one million, has been extended from December 2024 to December 2027. Category B plants, situated within a 10-km radius of critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities, will now be assessed on a case-by-case basis instead of adhering to the earlier 2025 deadline. Category C plants -- all others not falling under Category A or B -- have been completely exempted from the sulphur dioxide norms, provided they meet the prescribed stack height criteria by December 31, 2029. These plants were earlier required to comply by December 2026. Of around 600 thermal power units in India, 462 are Category C units and 72 are Category B units. The ministry said it received many representations seeking exemption or relaxation in the timelines of the emission standards due to factors such as the "limited availability of technology providers, its techno-economic feasibility, negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on supply chain, price escalation due to high demand and low supplies, low SO2 concentration in ambient air and heavy burden on consumer due to increase in electricity prices etc".
