India may get access to Headley by month-end

The United States will inform India by next week about possible dates, most likely in this month, for giving direct access to Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley.

Sources in the home ministry said by May 15, the US will convey to India when a team of Indian investigators will visit Chicago for "direct access" to Headley.

"India in all likelihood will get direct access within this month only," they said. Sources said apart from National Investigating Agency (NIA) and Mumbai Police officials, a team comprising a magistrate, legal experts and MHA officials will go to the US to interrogate Headley.

Union Home Secretary G K Pillai has on April 30 first indicated that Indian investigators would be given direct access to David Headley.

"This is a significant achievement and should put an end to the doubts expressed in certain quarters," Pillai had said.

A two-member team led by Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium had visited the US for five days to discuss modalities of gaining access to Headley.

On its return, Subramanium had said, "All the bottlenecks (for access to Headley) are removed and we have a way forward. So it's up to us to operationalise the plan forward."

Subramanium, who held detailed discussions with the US authorities in this regard, had said 'once we are ready to constitute our team, and get off board from India, the access should be possible.'

Headley, an operative of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba, who was arrested in October last year, has entered into a plea bargain with the US government wherein he has offered to be available to foreign investigators through deposition, video conferencing or letters rogatory.

Headley has told his American interrogators that he had several times conducted recce for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.