GS Pannun Failed Murder Plot: Top Czech court ‘greenlights’ extradition of Nikhil Gupta to US

The Czech Constitutional Court (CCC) has ruled that the Czech Republic can extradite Nikhil Gupta, an accused in the alleged assassination plot of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, to the United States. The US Department of Justice has accused Gupta for plotting to kill Pannun on American soil in league with an undercover Indian government official.

On May 22, 2024, the Court said that it had rejected Gupta’s appeal against lower court verdicts approving his extradition, according to an international media agency. The Report added that Pavel Blazek, the Czech Justice Minister still needs to approve the extradition. Gupta was detained at the Prague international Airport on June 30, 2023 and has been incarcerated in the prison since.

Marketa Androva, the spokesperson of the Czech Justice Ministry said that “the top court’s interim decision means thr Minister of Justice cannot decide on the extradition or refusal until the Constitutional Court decides on the merits of the complaints filed by Nikhil Gupta.”  The United States of America and the Czech Republic have an extradition treaty by which Nikhil Gupta can be sent to the US.

In 2023, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that Gupta along with an Indian government official and agent were planning to kill Pannun. The Indian government has declared Pannun who has dual citizenship of US and Canada as a designated terrorist. He is the leader of the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) which the government has declared as an unlawful organisation.

While the US DOJ has not publicly disclosed the name of the Indian official, an American national daily, in a story, later identified him as Vikram Yadav. The report further said that the US agencies have assessed that Samant Goel, the chief of RAW at that time had approved the Pannun plot and the NSA (National Security Adviser) Ajit Doval was probably aware of it.

While India has formed a high-level committee to look into the case, and address the concerns raised by the US it had rejected the contents of the US news media agency. In a statement, the MEA called these claims as unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter. The spokesperson of the NEA Randhir Jaiswal said, “The report in the question makes unwarranted and unsubstantial imputations on a serious matter.

Jaiswal further said, “There is an ongoing investigation of the high-level committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful.”

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