Pannun 'Murder Plot': Czech Court Allows Extradition of Nikhil Gupta to the US

Nikhil Gupta has been accused of collaborating with an Indian government official to plot Pannun's murder.

Nikhil Gupta was detained by Czech authorities in June 2023 after being accused by the US of collaborating with an official of the Indian government to murder Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (in photo).

(Photo: PTI)

A Czech court on Friday, 19 January, approved the extradition of Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, to the United States to be tried for allegedly plotting to kill Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, a report stated.

The Czech Justice Minister has a three-month window to seek the views of the country's Supreme Court in case questions arise with regard to the lower court's decision, a ministry spokesperson told Reuters.

Gupta was detained by Czech authorities in June 2023 after being accused by the US of collaborating with an official of the Indian government to murder Pannun.

Earlier, the Prague High Court had dismissed Gupta's appeal against extradition.

A petition on behalf of Gupta had also been filed in India's Supreme Court. The habeas corpus petition sought intervention of the Indian government to release him from prison in the Czech Republic, alleging that he was subjected to forced consumption of beef and pork during his detention in Czech custody, a direct violation of his religious beliefs, LiveLaw reported.

The petition further alleged that Gupta’s detention in the Czech Republic is illegal, as there was “no formal arrest and that the detention was at the instance of certain US agents".

However, the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti expressed their lack of inclination to entertain the petition and observed that Gupta must approach the “concerned court" for relief.

(With inputs from Reuters.)