A Czech court has ruled in favor of extraditing the 52-year-old Indian man, Nikhil Gupta, to the United States for his alleged involvement in a plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, as reported by Czech media outlet Seznam Zpravy. The decision, however, awaits approval from Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek.
Gupta, detained in Prague last June based on a US-Czech extradition treaty, is currently held in Prague’s Pankrac prison. The Prague High Court upheld the initial ruling during a closed hearing, rejecting Gupta’s argument that the case had political or military motivations.
Referring to Pannun, Gupta’s lawyer, Petr Slepicka, stated at the Prague High Court, “In the opinion of the Indian government, he threatens the security of the Republic of India and is a comparable threat to it as Osama bin Laden is to the USA,” reported Seznam Zpravy.
While the time frame for the extradition decision remains uncertain, Gupta’s lawyer mentioned plans to file a complaint with the Constitutional Court. Despite a petition for consular access, legal aid, and intervention in extradition proceedings filed by Gupta being declined by the Supreme Court of India on January 4, the court emphasized the matter’s sensitivity and jurisdiction under the Vienna Convention.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, designated as an India terrorist holding American and Canadian citizenship, was the alleged target of the assassination plot. The US Justice Department indicted Gupta on charges of murder-for-hire, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The indictment asserted Gupta’s association with an unidentified individual (CC-1) and described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking, with CC-1 allegedly directing the plot from India.