India working closely with US to extradite Tahawwur Rana: MEA

New Delhi: India on Friday said it is working closely with the US to complete the necessary formalities for the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, a key plotter of the dastardly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Following his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington last month, US President Donald Trump announced approving Rana's extradition to India. The India-US joint statement on the Modi-Trump talks also mentioned it.

"You would have seen President Trump's comments regarding the extradition of Rana. The joint statement also reflects this sentiment," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

"We are working closely with the US government to complete the necessary formalities to allow for his extradition to India," he said at his weekly media briefing.

Rana, 64, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles.

Jaiswal's remarks came against the backdrop of the US Supreme Court rejecting an emergency application by the terror accused seeking a stay of his extradition to India.

Following the rejection, Rana has submitted a renewed application to Chief Justice John Roberts, urging for a stay of his extradition.

In his emergency application, Rana had sought a "stay of his extradition and surrender to India pending litigation (including exhaustion of all appeals) on the merits of his February 13 petition".

In that petition, Rana had argued that his extradition to India violates US law and the United Nations Convention Against Torture, "because there are substantial grounds for believing that, if extradited to India, the petitioner will be in danger of being subjected to torture".