Pannun ‘murder’ plot: Czech court rules that Nikhil Gupta can be extradited to US

Pannun ‘murder’ plot: A Czech court approved extradition of 52-year-old Indian man Nikhil Gupta to the United States.The United States alleges Gupta's involvement in a plot to murder SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil. 

The Czech Justice Ministry disclosed this decision with the final decision in the hands of Justice Minister Pavel Blazek once the ruling is formally delivered to all involved parties. 

52-year-old Indian Nikhil Gupta is currently facing accusations from U.S. federal prosecutors, alleging his involvement in a collaborative plot with an Indian government official to assassinate SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. 

Gupta was detained in Prague in June last year on the basis of a bilateral US-Czech extradition treaty.
The Prague High Court upheld the ruling made by the first-instance court during a closed hearing this week.

Gupta argued in his claims that the case pertaining to Pannun plot has a political or military background. However, the judge rejected the defence argument that it was a political case.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India on January 4 declined a petition filed on behalf of Gupta for consular access, legal aid and ongoing extradition proceedings in the Czech Republic

.As per the US Justice Department indictment, Indian national Nikhil Gupta is currently in custody and has been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Czech authorities had arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.

The US Justice Department had claimed that an Indian government employee, who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, had recruited Indian national Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to allegedly carry out assassination of Panun, which was foiled by US authorities.

-With inputs from agencies 

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