Indian team may quiz Headley in April

The U.S. Department of Justice in a communication has reportedly asked Indian officials to be ready with a team to avail access to David Coleman Headley resulting from the plea bargain agreement between him and the American government.

Following this, India is likely to send a team of investigators in April to question the Pakistani-American terrorist Headley, who has admitted to plotting the Mumbai terror attacks.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is in the process of constituting a team with the help of the Union Law Ministry under the terms of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the U.S. A final decision would be taken only after Home Minister P. Chidambaram returned from his official visit to the U.K. The composition of team, mode of access and other issues are yet to be decided.

Under the plea bargain, India can have access to Headley by deposition, video conferencing or through Letters Rogatory. India would like to explore all three options. The visit will be undertaken on mutually accepted dates as teams from Pakistan and Denmark are also likely to go to U.S. to question Headley.

The National Investigation Agency plans to file a chargesheet against Headley under the Passport Act for misrepresenting the facts by not divulging his original name — Dawood Gilani.

The U.S., which had so far denied India the right to question Headley who was arrested by the FBI in October last year, has now said he has agreed to “fully and truthfully” participate in this process which has to be undertaken only on American soil.

- Asian Tribune -