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The Patiala House Court of Delhi on Wednesday issued notice on a plea filed by Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 conspiracy case, seeking permission to communicate with his family under jail regulations.
Special NIA Judge Chanderjit Singh directed the NIA to respond to the application and sought a report from Tihar Jail authorities. Rana remains in judicial custody until June 6, with the next hearing scheduled for June 4. Previously, the court had denied his plea to speak with his family over the phone while he was in NIA custody. His lawyer, Piyush Sachdeva, argued that, as a foreign national, Rana has a fundamental right to contact his family, who are concerned about his well-being in custody. However, the NIA opposed the request, citing the ongoing investigation and the risk of sensitive information being disclosed. Recently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) collected voice and handwriting samples from Rana, who was extradited from the United States. He provided handwriting specimens by writing various alphabets and numerical characters. Advocate Piyush Sachdeva confirmed that Rana fully complied with the court's directive to submit these samples. The Special NIA Court recently granted approval for the NIA to obtain voice and handwriting samples from Rana, a 64-year-old Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin. He was extradited from the United States in connection with his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Following his extradition, he was placed under NIA custody in New Delhi, where investigators are probing his suspected links to the perpetrators of the attack. The 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, orchestrated by the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed over 170 lives and left hundreds injured. Rana's extradition and interrogation form part of India's ongoing efforts to bring all conspirators of the attack to justice. (ANI)
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