India to get access to Headley soon, says Solicitor General Subramaniam

New Delhi, Ma 1 (ANI): Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, on Saturday said that all bottlenecks to access Lashakar operative, David Headley, have been overcome and Indian investigators may get the opportunity to question him soon.

Subramanium along with Indian Ambassador to the United States, Meera Shankar, met with the United States Attorney General Eric Holder and held discussions on getting direct access to Lashkar operative David Coleman Headley in Washington April 27.

According to the Indian Home Ministry, both India and US have agreed to take suitable steps to bring about direct access of Indian authorities to Headley as soon as possible.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi after returning from his US trip, Subramanium said a team would be constituted, to visit US on the issue.

"There has been unstinted cooperation and we have had a very fruitful round of discussion between the American as well as the Indian authorities, and all bottlenecks are over and we have a way forward. So it's up to us to operationalise the plan forward," Subramanium said.

"I think once we are ready to constitute our team and get off board from India, the access should be possible," he added.

Subramaniam's five-day visit was primarily aimed at understanding the US legal system within which India could get access to Headley.

He discussed with officials of the US Justice Department modalities for access to Headley, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, in an appropriate legal format.

India has long been pressing to interrogate Headley.

India wants to question Headley in a manner that his statement would be acceptable in a court of law here. In this regard, a chargesheet would also be required to be filed against Headley in India.

Headley, who was arrested in October last, has entered into a plea bargain with the US government wherein he has offered to be available to foreign investigators through deposition, video conferencing or letters rogatory.

Subramaniam had earlier advised the government to settle for nothing less than Headley's extradition to ensure his thorough custodial interrogation.

Headley has told his America interrogators that he had several times conducted recce for the Mumbai attacks. He has also revealed that a serving Pakistani Army Major had given training o him in Pakistan. (ANI)