The Supreme Court on Thursday, January 4, rejected a petition filed by a family member of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, charged in an alleged plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the US, seeking consular access and legal aid to challenge his indictment and extradition. The Supreme Court refused to entertain the plea, stating it is a sensitive matter and the Central government will decide on it.
"Considering the public international law and comity of courts, we can't intervene," said the Supreme Court. The top court emphasised the need to respect the jurisdiction of a foreign court. Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, was arrested in the Czech Republic in 2023 for plotting to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a pro-Khalistani and Sikh separatist leader. Also Read: "Incident hurt sentiments of Indian community": Consulate in San Francisco condemns defacement of Hindu temple in Newark.
According to the US, Nikhil Gupta was working with a government agent and had hired a hitman, who turned out to be an undercover cop, to kill the Sikh separatist leader. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated that the Indian government has set up a high-level inquiry committee to examine allegations of a conspiracy to kill Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil. Gupta's kin moved the top court and claimed that Gupta was kept in isolation in jail and was being forced to eat meat and pork.