US court permits Sikh group to summon Manmohan Singh

A US court has granted a Sikh group's plea to serve summons on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in India under an international convention for alleged rights abuses during his tenure.

A federal court in Washington DC had issued summons to Singh in 2013 during his visit to Washington. Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) filed a motion in the court, requesting extension of time to serve the summons to Singh in India.

In support of its motion, SFJ submitted a copy of a letter which stated it has retained Process Forwarding International (PFI), a Washington-based firm, to serve the summons in India according to the Hague Service Convention.

In response to SFJ's plea, Judge James E Boasberg said in an order issued on February 28: "Plaintiffs shall by April 14, 2014, either file proof of service or file a status report updating the court on their progress in effecting service." PFI said in a declaration that the complete file had been sent to India to serve the summons.

Under the Hague Service Convention, a central authority has been established by the Indian government for receiving and serving summons from foreign courts.