The NIA Special Court at Patiala House directed the Legal Services Authority that its counsel shall not speak to the media about the accused, Tahawwur Rana — one of the main conspirators in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks — after the accused urged the court that he does not wish to be represented by a lawyer seeking name and fame through him.
Rana was extradited to India from the US on Thursday after a 16-year legal process, and was formally arrested before being produced at the NIA Special Court in Patiala House, where the National Investigation Agency sought custody to continue its probe.
Rana, accused of providing logistical support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who carried out the attacks, expressed his desire during the court proceedings that no lawyer should represent him with the intention of gaining public recognition, and the court accordingly instructed that Legal Services Authority counsel should refrain from making any media statements about the case or revealing their identities. The Indian Express reported.
The court also allowed Rana access to basic materials such as paper and a sketch pen to communicate with his counsel, and noted that the order was finalised in the early hours of April 11 following a late-night hearing.
Currently, Rana is being kept in a high-security cell within the NIA headquarters at the CGO Complex in Delhi, where he is under constant surveillance by CISF and NIA officials, and is being provided with essential items including meals from the agency's canteen.
Previously detained in the US since October 2009, Rana had served in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps and was arrested after being linked to David Coleman Headley, his childhood friend who conducted reconnaissance for the Mumbai attacks under the guise of working for Rana’s immigration business.
According to the US Department of Justice, Indian authorities allege that Rana enabled Headley’s surveillance efforts by facilitating a fake business front in Mumbai, helped him file false visa applications, and unknowingly used a business partner to support Headley’s operations, allowing him to move undetected across India while scouting potential targets.
The NIA was granted 18 days' custody of Rana to further its investigation, and security around the agency’s premises has been tightened in view of the high-profile nature of the case.