NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday granted 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana permission to make a single phone call to his family for the time being. The call will be strictly conducted in accordance with jail regulations and under the supervision of a senior official from the Tihar jail authorities, reported news agency ANI.The Patiala House Court has also sought a detailed status report on Rana’s health issues, which must be submitted within 10 days. Tahawwur Rana had filed a petition in a Delhi court for allowing him to communicate with his family. Rana has requested access to jail-provided facilities for family interaction, in accordance with regulations. Meanwhile, the ministry of home affairs has appointed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, and Advocate Narender Mann as lead prosecutors in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) case against Tahawwur Rana. “The Central Government hereby appoints a team of Special Public Prosecutors, led by Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, alongside SV Raju, Additional Solicitor General, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, and Advocate Narender Mann (previously notified as Special Public Prosecutors,” a circular issued by the home ministry read. “This team will oversee the trial and all related proceedings concerning NIA case before the NIA special courts in Delhi, the high court of Delhi, and the Supreme Court of India,” it added. “Their tenure will extend for three years from the publication date of this notification or until the completion of the trial, whichever occurs first, under the terms and conditions outlined in the Department of Legal Affairs’ notification.” Earlier on May 9, Rana was presented before the Patiala House Court from NIA remand, a day earlier than the scheduled date due to security concerns. The NIA Special Court has ordered his judicial custody until June 6, 2025. Rana, a 64-year-old Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin, was extradited from the United States in connection with his purported role in the deadly 2008 terror strike on Mumbai. According to NIA, Rana is also suspected to have devised similar terror plots to target other cities in the nation.
