Burden on us that 26/11 accused was not in custody: Maharashtra CM welcomes extradition of Tahawwur Rana

Fadnavis made the comments while addressing a joint press conference in Mumbai with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who had announced the sanction of railway projects in the state.

"I am very happy that the accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and one of the conspirators, Tahawwur Rana, has been brought to India. I thank the Prime Minister on behalf of Mumbaikars for bringing the conspirator to India to face the Indian judicial system," Fadnavis said.

Talking about how he had carried the "burden" of the conspirator of the attacks not being in custody, Fadnavis continued, "It was a burden on us that Kasab was executed as per law, but the conspirator was not in our custody."

Now, the Maharashtra CM has assured that Rana will be facing due process in court, while any help needed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), who currently has custody of Rana, will be given by the Mumbai Police.

"He is with NIA now, and they are investigating the case. Now, the NIA will take calls about the investigation and the legal procedures to be followed. Whatever information we need, we will take from NIA, and if they need any assistance, we will do so through Mumbai Police," he said.

Rana, 64, a Canadian citizen and native of Pakistan, was extradited to stand trial in India on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the DoJ statement said.

He is charged with numerous offences, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery, related to his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks by Laskhar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), a designated terrorist organization.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) successfully secured Rana's extradition after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice.

According to the NIA, Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty for his extradition. The extradition finally came through after Rana had exhausted all legal avenues to stay on the move. He was brought to India on April 10 and produced before an NIA court, where he was sent to 18 days of custody.