SC to hear plea of Indian man accused of foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Pannun on Jan 4, 2024
PTC News Desk: The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on the Habeas Corpus petition filed on behalf of Nikhil Gupta, who is accused by the US of conspiring to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun against his arrest and ongoing extradition proceedings in the Czech Republic.
The top court will hear the matter on January 4, 2024.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti ruled that Gupta has to approach the concerned court for relief in the Czech Republic.
According to the plea, Nikhil Gupta is currently held in a Czech Republic prison while awaiting extradition to the United States in connection with the case there for allegedly being part of a foiled attempt to murder Pannun.
"You have to go before the court, which is outside India. Go over there. We are not going to have an adjudication over here. The person detained has not given the affidavit. If there is a violation of any law, etc., you have to go to court over there," the apex court said.
The petitioner, represented by Senior Advocate CA Sundaram, stated that he is just seeking relief for proper consular assistance because he is an Indian citizen.
"This is an extremely sensitive matter for the Ministry of External Affairs. It's for them to decide," Justice Khanna stated.
When the bench asked who filed the petition, Sundaram stated that it was filed by a family member of Nikhil Gupta. Because the case file was received late, Justice Khanna stated that the bench had not had time to study it and adjourned the hearing.
Sundaram requested an in-chamber hearing on the next scheduled day of the hearing. Justice Khanna stated that the request would be considered at the next hearing. "We will have this on January 4, after vacations. We will decide on the next date. Serve copy to the central agency.
According to the plea, Gupta, 52, was in the Czech Republic on a business exploration trip when he was detained illegally on June 30 at Prague airport and held in solitary confinement for about 100."
- ANI
