SC To Hear On Jan 4 Plea By Pannun Murder Plot Accused, Nikhil Gupta. Here's What The Petition Says

Nikhil Gupta was accused by the United States of plotting to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Pannun.

The family of Nikhil Gupta, the man accused of plotting to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has moved the Supreme Court on his behalf seeking the intervention of the Government of India to release him from prison in the Czech Republic, reported Live Law. Gupta's family has filed a habeas corpus petition in the apex court which was put before a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti.

In the plea, according to Live Law, Gupta has claimed to be a devout Hindu and vegetarian, and alleged that he was subjected to forced consumption of beef and pork during his detention in Czech custody, a direct violation of his religious beliefs.

As per the report, he also alleged that he was denied consular access, the right to contact his family in India, and the freedom to seek legal representation. The court said the person who has been detained has not given his affidavit and added that if there's any violation of any law or anything, "you'll have to go to the court concerned."

The bench observed that the matter at hand is "extremely sensitive matter" for the Ministry of External Affairs. The court has now posted the matter for hearing on January 4, 2023.

The US Justice Department has named Nikhil Gupta alleging that he plotted to assassinate Sikh leader Pannun, a US citizen, on the country's soil. Later, India formed a panel to probe the allegations and said it would look into the matter. The issue was raised by several US officials in meetings with Indian representatives.

The development comes days after the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic confirmed Gupta's arrest and provisional custody. It added the action was taken at the behest of the US.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Nikhil Gupta, in a foiled plot to assassinate a "US citizen in New York City" allegedly on behalf of an Indian government employee. However, the US indictment did not name Pannun, the founder of the banned organisation Sikh for Justice (SFJ).

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had called the development a "matter of concern" and contrary to government policy. "As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern. We have said and let me reiterate that this is contrary to government policy," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

Last week, the White House said that it wanted India to fully investigate the alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in the US, adding that it was glad New Delhi is dealing with the issue seriously. National Security spokesperson John Kirby said India is a strategic partner for the US and urged it to hold accountable those responsible for the plot to allegedly kill Khalistai separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is an American citizen.