The 2008 Mumbai Attacks

The attacks

The attacks began on the evening of November 26, 2008 and continued until the morning of November 29. Ten men attacked multiple locations in Mumbai, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi-Trident complex, Café Leopold, Cama Hospital and Nariman House.

In its 2012 judgment, the Supreme Court of India recorded 166 deaths and 238 injuries. The dead included police and security personnel as well as foreign nationals. Nine of the ten attackers were killed during the response operations. Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was captured alive.

Kasab's prosecution

Kasab was prosecuted in India on charges including murder, terrorism, conspiracy and waging war against the Government of India. A special court convicted him in 2010 and imposed the death penalty. The Bombay High Court confirmed the judgment in 2011.

On August 29, 2012, the Supreme Court dismissed Kasab's appeal and confirmed the death sentence. The Court's judgment analyzed the evidence linking him to the attacks and the broader conspiracy while also reviewing procedural arguments raised by the defense.

After his mercy petition was rejected, Kasab was executed in Yerwada Central Prison in Pune on November 21, 2012. His conviction therefore constitutes the principal fully adjudicated criminal judgment against a member of the ten-man assault team who survived to face trial.

The wider conspiracy cases

The conclusion of Kasab's case did not end every proceeding connected to the alleged planning of the attacks. India's National Investigation Agency registered a separate conspiracy case in 2009 involving David Coleman Headley, Tahawwur Hussain Rana and other alleged conspirators.

In April 2025, Rana was extradited from the United States to India after litigation over the extradition request. The NIA formally arrested him on arrival. In July 2025, the agency filed a supplementary chargesheet and stated that further investigation was continuing. Allegations against Rana remain allegations until resolved by the court; extradition and charging are not convictions.

Developments in 2026

The broader legal history remained active in August 2026. Mumbai Police began the process for an in-absentia trial against six Pakistan-based accused, including Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Sajid Mir, Abu Alqama, Asim alias Abu Qahafa and Major Abdur Rehman Pasha. On August 21, 2026, police reported seeking Interpol assistance through India's Home Ministry to serve proclamation orders.

Those six individuals are described here as accused, not convicted perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks in the Indian proceedings. The same distinction applies to any defendant whose conspiracy case is still pending.

Why this file is classified as partially adjudicated

The attack itself, the identity of the ten-member assault team and Kasab's criminal responsibility were extensively adjudicated. The Supreme Court's judgment is a detailed primary judicial record of the events and evidence.

At the same time, proceedings concerning alleged planners and facilitators continue years later. Because those cases remain active, Crime by Region does not label the entire wider conspiracy as fully resolved.

Timeline

Current status

Kasab's conviction and sentence were final and carried out in 2012. As of August 2026, however, separate conspiracy proceedings remain active, including the Indian case against Tahawwur Rana and steps toward trying six absconding accused in absentia. The archive therefore treats the attacks as heavily adjudicated but not fully closed at the conspiracy level.