India may have to wait until 2023 for Tahawwur Rana’s extradition

New Delhi, Jan 7: The National Investigation Agency will have to wait a while longer before it gets to question or even seek the extradition of Tahawwur Rana an accused in the Mumbai 26/11 attack.

Rana, who was arrested in 2009 is currently serving a 14 year jail term in the US for providing material support to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the outfit which carried out the attack.

Rana's jail term would come to an end in 2023. A team of the NIA was in the US recently to seek his extradition. An NIA source tells OneIndia that the extradition would take place. However there is a process involved and it could take up to some time.

Last week the government had told the Lok Sabha that the Centre had engaged with the US authorities under terms of the India-US Extradition Treaty of 1997 for the extradition of US based individuals for their role in the 26/11 attacks.

In the US the double jeopardy clause prevents a punishment for the crime twice. Due to this, India renewed its bid to secure Rana's custody on the ground that he was involved in the planning of an attack on the National Defence College in New Delhi.