A Delhi court on Monday allowed the NIA to question 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Rana for another 12 days.
Special NIA judge Chander Jit Singh, in an in-chamber hearing, extended Rana’s custody after he was presented before him on the expiry of his 18-day remand.
Amid tight security, Rana was produced in Delhi’s Patiala House Court with his face covered.
Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and special public prosecutor Narender Mann are representing the NIA, while advocate Piyush Sachdeva from the Delhi Legal Services Authority is appearing for Rana.
According to sources, the NIA urged the court to grant more time for the investigation as the documents related to the case were voluminous. The agency also wants to
confront Rana with the evidence gathered so far. The NIA apprised the court of the progress of the probe in the last 18 days.
The agency claimed before the court that Rana had planned several attacks similar to the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike, targeting multiple Indian cities, including Delhi.
In its previous remand order, the court had directed the NIA to conduct medical exams on Rana every 24 hours and allow him to meet his lawyer every alternate day.
The court allowed Rana to use only a “soft-tip pen” and meet his lawyer in the presence of NIA officials, who would be out of audible distance.
The Delhi court had remanded Rana in NIA custody in the small hours of April 11 after he was brought to India on April 10 following the rejection of his plea against extradition in the US.