Latest news with #SpecialNationalInvestigationAgency
Hans India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
26/11: Tahawwur Rana seeks NIA court nod for regular phone chats with kin
New Delhi: Pakistani-Canadian national and Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana on Tuesday filed a petition in a Special NIA court seeking permission to speak with his family members over phone from jail at regular intervals, a lawyer said on Tuesday. The Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Judge at Patiala House Court, before whom Rana raised the demand, sought a response from the jail authorities and the anti-terror agency on whether he should be allowed regular telephonic contact with family members. As the NIA sought more time to present its stand on the issue, the court posted the hearing for July 23. The jail administration filed its response on Rana's plea. Earlier, Rana also sought a bed in his cell in Tihar prison, which was approved by the court. The judge also issued instructions to the jail authorities to provide him with a bed. During the proceedings, the NIA informed the court that they had handed over all documents related to Rana's health to the jail administration. Rana's plea seeking permission to speak to his family over the phone is not new. The court had earlier accepted his similar request and allowed him to speak to his family once. On July 9, the NIA court sent the terror suspect to judicial custody till August 13. The NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet against Rana, a former officer of the Pakistan Army's Medical Corps, following an initial charge sheet filed against him in 2012. The latest charge sheet also included Rana's arrest memo, seizure memos, and several other related documents. Earlier on June 6, the Special NIA Court called for a status report from Tihar jail authorities after Rana's counsel flagged his deteriorating health condition. The NIA had also collected voice and handwriting samples of Rana as a precursor to match them with recordings of his telephonic discussions with 26/11 co-accused David Coleman Headley. Rana, who was extradited from the US in April to stand trial in the Mumbai attack case, is suspected to have passed on to Headley handwritten notes sharing instructions, coordinates, and maps which were used to scout 26/11 targets. The NIA suspects that Rana was present in Mumbai during the terror attack. NIA sources had earlier said that during interrogation, Rana had claimed that his childhood friend and co-accused Headley was solely responsible for the reconnaissance and planning aspects of 26/11. Jailed in the US, Headley, who turned approver in the case, had earlier admitted to conducting recce missions across India, including Mumbai, on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Hans India
09-05-2025
- Hans India
Malegaon blast case verdict on July 31
Malegaon: A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court is expected to deliver its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on July 31. The court had reserved its judgment on April 19, after completing hearings and final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence. The court stated that the hearing concluded in April, but given the voluminous nature of the case -- comprising over one lakh pages of evidence and documentation -- additional time is required to go through all records before pronouncing the verdict. All the accused in the case have been directed to remain present in court on the day of the verdict. The court has also cautioned that action will be initiated against any accused found absent on that day. A total of seven individuals are facing trial in the case, including Lt Col Prasad Purohit, former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, and retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay. They have been charged under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in Maharashtra, during the holy month of Ramzan and just ahead of Navratri. The explosion claimed six lives and left over 100 people injured. During the course of the trial, which spanned over a decade, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses, of whom 34 turned hostile. Initially, the case was investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). However, in 2011, the probe was handed over to the NIA.
Hans India
08-05-2025
- Hans India
NIA court to pronounce verdict in 2008 Malegaon blast case on July 31
Malegaon: A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court is expected to deliver its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on July 31. The court had reserved its judgment on April 19, after completing hearings and final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence. The court stated that the hearing concluded in April, but given the voluminous nature of the case -- comprising over one lakh pages of evidence and documentation -- additional time is required to go through all records before pronouncing the verdict. All the accused in the case have been directed to remain present in court on the day of the verdict. The court has also cautioned that action will be initiated against any accused found absent on that day. A total of seven individuals are facing trial in the case, including Lt Col Prasad Purohit, former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, and retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay. They have been charged under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in Maharashtra, during the holy month of Ramzan and just ahead of Navratri. The explosion claimed six lives and left over 100 people injured. During the course of the trial, which spanned over a decade, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses, of whom 34 turned hostile. Initially, the case was investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). However, in 2011, the probe was handed over to the NIA. In 2016, the NIA filed a charge sheet that gave a clean chit to Pragya Singh Thakur and a few other accused, citing a lack of sufficient evidence against them. The verdict, coming nearly 17 years after the incident, is keenly awaited and is expected to have significant legal and political ramifications.
India.com
01-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
NIA Gets Court Nod To Collect Voice, Handwriting Samples Of 26/11 Accused Tahawwur Rana
A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court has given the nod to the agency to take voice and handwriting samples of Tahawwur Rana, the suspected co-conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Rana, who was extradited recently from America, is in NIA custody. Special NIA Judge Chander Jit Singh sanctioned the agency's plea on Wednesday, a major breakthrough in the continuing probe into the fatal 26/11 attacks that killed more than 170 people. Earlier this week, the court had also extended Rana's custody with the NIA by another 12 days to allow for further questioning. At the hearing, the NIA informed the court that Rana had been presented with a "voluminous" amount of records and evidence related to the attacks but was being obstructive while being questioned. The agency contended that custodial interrogation was necessary to elicit important information regarding his supposed role. Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan and Special Public Prosecutor Narender Mann argued on behalf of the NIA, while Rana was represented by Advocate Piyush Sachdeva, who was assigned through legal services. Rana's counsel argued against extending remand, deeming further custodial interrogation to be unnecessary. Rana, a Canadian of Pakistani origin and aged 64, has been charged with assisting the principal conspirators in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack by Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. His extradition from the US last month has been regarded as a significant step in India's quest to put all the conspirators behind bars. The NIA keeps investigating Rana's suspected associations with individuals engaged in planning and executing the attacks, which included targeting various points in Mumbai such as hotels, a railway station, and a Jewish center.
The Hindu
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
26/11 Mumbai attack: Delhi court allows NIA to record Tahawwur Rana's voice, handwriting samples
A Delhi court has allowed the NIA to collect the voice and handwriting samples of 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a source said. Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Judge Chander Jit Singh, who on April 28 extended Rana's custody for 12 days, passed the order on April 30 on an application moved by the agency. Rana, a close associate of 26/11 main conspirator David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a U.S. citizen, was brought to India after the U.S. Supreme Court on April 4 dismissed his review plea against his extradition to India. Also read | The extradition of Tahawwur Rana On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India's financial capital using the sea route. As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault.
