In a firm message underscoring India’s zero-tolerance policy on cross-border terrorism, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday that New Delhi will take every necessary step to defeat terror networks, coming as Mumbai Police moved to launch a trial in absentia against six Pakistan-based conspirators behind the 26/11 attacks. The move to try foreign terror operatives on Indian soil in their absence—including Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and key commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi—marks a decisive turning point in India’s long-standing effort to secure legal accountability for the 2008 attacks.
Speaking at a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that India views cross-border security threats with the utmost seriousness and expects the international community to hold state-sponsored terror networks accountable. Emphasizing the heavy toll India has suffered from terrorism over several decades, Jaiswal noted that New Delhi will continue pushing global consensus against violent extremism while deploying diplomatic, administrative, and legal tools to dismantle hostile networks and bring conspirators to justice.
The diplomatic remarks followed significant legal developments in Mumbai, where city police formally approached Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam to initiate proceedings against the six fugitives. A special court issued formal proclamations directing the wanted accused to appear. Alongside Hafiz Saeed and Lakhvi, the list includes operational planner Sajid Mir, control room handlers Abu Alqama and Abu Qahafa, and Major Abdur Rehman Pasha. The move marks the first time that the in absentia trial provisions under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) are being invoked in a major international terror case, creating a statutory route to secure formal convictions against foreign fugitives who refuse to face court.
The November 2008 Mumbai attacks claimed 166 lives and left over 300 injured after 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists struck landmarks across the city, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and Nariman House. While nine attackers were killed on site and lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was executed in 2012, the planners and handlers guiding the carnage from control rooms in Pakistan have managed to evade Indian courts. Despite Interpol Red Notices and extensive evidentiary dossiers submitted by India, trials in Pakistan have faced endless procedural roadblocks and delays. Conducting the trial in absentia allows Indian courts to record evidence formally, establish guilt on the judicial record, and enforce sentencing whenever the accused are brought within Indian jurisdiction.
The legal push also coincides with heightened security crackdowns across the country. The MEA dismissed Islamabad’s denials over pre-Independence Day operations that dismantled the ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti network, which saw over 250 suspects detained and more than 200 arrests across 14 states. By pairing proactive on-ground interdictions with the newly reformed criminal laws in court, New Delhi is sending a clear message that international borders and administrative stalling will no longer shield cross-border terror masterminds from legal reckoning