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Who is Dayan Krishnan? Dayan Krishnan is a Senior Advocate who practices at the Delhi High Court. He is a distinguished criminal law expert with a career spanning over three decades. He is a graduate of the first batch (1993) of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore.
After graduating, he began his legal journey under the mentorship of Senior Advocate Santosh Hegde, who went on to become a Supreme Court Judge and Solicitor General of India. (SGI). Krishnan worked with Hegde until 1999, after which he set up his independent practice.
Krishnan has been part of several landmark and high-profile legal cases, including:-
Krishnan has appeared for various government bodies such as the Union of India, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Delhi Government, and Delhi Police in cases of national importance.
In 2010, Krishnan was appointed Special Counsel for the NIA and travelled to Chicago to question David Headley, one of the key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He also represented the government in other key extradition cases including those of Ravi Shankaran (2011) and Raymond Varley (2012).
In 2014, he was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court, becoming the second NLSIU Bangalore alumnus to receive this recognition.
Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, who represented India in securing the extradition of 26/11 key conspirator Tahawwur Rana in a US court, will now lead the NIA prosecution in Delhi. He will be assisted by Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Narender Mann.
About Tahawwur Rana
Tahawwur Hussain Rana is a Pakistani-born Canadian national and a former military doctor who was recently extradited to India from the United States in connection with his alleged involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
He is a key conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, and is accused of facilitating the operations of David Coleman Headley, who conducted reconnaissance in Mumbai ahead of the 2008 attacks.
According to NIA, Rana had conspired with David Coleman Headley (also known as Daood Gilani), operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI), and other Pakistan-based actors to orchestrate the devastating 2008 attacks.
From November 26 to 29, 2008, ten terrorists from Pakistan-based LeT carried out 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai. They infiltrated the city by sea, broke into teams, and launched strikes at high-profile locations, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Leopold Café, and a Jewish center. Attackers indiscriminately opened fire and hurled grenades at civilians, resulting in the deaths of 166 people, including six Americans, and injuring over 238. Property damage was estimated to exceed $1.5 billion.
Rana now faces trial in India on 10 serious criminal charges, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery.
His extradition was ordered by a U.S. court in May 2023, but Rana pursued multiple appeals, including petitions in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, all of which were rejected. On April 9, the U.S. Marshals Service executed the final surrender warrant, handing him over to Indian authorities.
After Rana’s arrival in New Delhi following his extradition from the United States on the evening of April 10. He was, on April 11, produced before Special NIA Judge Chander Jit Singh, Patiala House Court.
NIA had sought 20-days police custody of Rana. However, the Special Judge granted 18 days of custodial interrogation.
As per news reports (HT), Rana is being represented by Advocates Piyush Sachdeva and Lakshya Dheer from the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA).
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