Tahawwur Rana, one of the persons accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has approached the United States Supreme Court seeking an emergency stay on his extradition to India, reported ANI.

Rana argued in his appeal that he would not survive long enough to stand trial in India due to multiple health issues. “If a stay is not entered, there will be no review at all, the US courts will lose jurisdiction, and the petitioner will soon be dead,” he stated.

Rana, a Pakistan-origin Canadian businessman, is wanted in India for his alleged role in the Mumbai attacks, which left 166 people dead, including 26 foreign nationals. The 10 attackers, linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, had traveled by sea from Pakistan to Mumbai, targeting several locations.

He told the US Supreme Court that as a Muslim of Pakistani origin and a former Pakistani Army member, he was at high risk of torture if extradited. Rana cited the Human Rights Watch 2023 World Report, which documented the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Indian government’s “systematic discrimination and stigmatization of religious minorities, particularly Muslims”.

He alleged that India’s government was becoming “increasingly autocratic”, adding that his putative charges linked to the Mumbai attacks would make him even more vulnerable.

Rana, currently jailed in Los Angeles, also cited deteriorating health, stating he suffers from a 3.5 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, and a suspected bladder cancer mass. He argued that he “cannot be sent into a ‘hornet’s nest’ where he will be targeted due to national, religious, and cultural animosity”.

The US Supreme Court recently rejected a review petition filed by Rana. Following this, former US President Donald Trump announced his administration had approved his extradition, referring to him as “very evil”.

“He’s going to be going back to India to face justice,” Trump said.

Rana is known to be an associate of Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, a key conspirator in the attacks. His alleged links to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence have remained a point of contention between India and the US for years.

The US Supreme Court had cleared Rana’s extradition in January.