Family of Indian national charged in plot to kill Pannun approaches SC

The plea, filed by Nikhil Gupta's family, seeks Indian government's intervention in extradition proceedings initiated by the US

The family of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is accused of plotting the assassination of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court (SC) on his behalf, asking the government of India to intervene in his release from prison in the Czech Republic, reported Live Law.

Last month, US federal prosecutors charged Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government official in the foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh extremist who is an American and Canadian citizen. An unnamed Indian official also appeared in an indictment along with the Indian national, who the Department of Justice claims hired someone in the US to assassinate Pannun.

India Today reported that the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic has confirmed Nikhil Gupta's arrest and provisional custody. The action was initiated at the behest of the US.

Vladimir Repka, a spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Justice, said Gupta was arrested at the request of the US, which later submitted an extradition request. The charges against Gupta include conspiracy to murder for hire, as detailed by US authorities, the report by India Today added.

The US linking the Indian official to a man charged with conspiring to kill Pannun has been described as a "matter of concern" by India, who has stated that further action will be taken based on the results of an inquiry panel reviewing the allegations.

India has already formed a probe team to look into the accusations.

US principal deputy National Security Agency (NSA) Jonathan Finer, who was in India earlier this month, conveyed to New Delhi the need of holding accountable anyone found culpable in the probe launched by India to investigate the alleged Indian link to the incident.

As Finer concluded his high-profile visit to India, the White House stated that Finer "acknowledged" India's establishment of a committee of inquiry to probe the "lethal plotting" and emphasised the importance for holding accountable those responsible.

"Finer acknowledged India's establishment of a committee of enquiry to investigate lethal plotting in the United States and the importance of holding accountable anyone found responsible," it said in a readout while referring to his meetings in New Delhi.

The readout, however, did not mention with which Indian officials the principal deputy NSA discussed the issue.