New York: Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national facing charges of conspiracy to kill Khalistan terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, was produced in a US court. Nikhil Gupta was produced in US Federal Court. In the full court, Nikhil Gupta denied being involved in the conspiracy to kill Pannu. He clearly said that I have nothing to do with this conspiracy. I am innocent. Nikhil Gupta was recently extradited to the US from the Czech Republic. Nikhil Gupta is accused of conspiring to kill terrorist Pannu.
Magistrate Judge James Cote in Southern New York federal court ordered Nikhil Gupta to be detained pending a hearing on June 28. Nikhil Gupta’s lawyer Jeffrey Chabro did not apply for bail. Outside the courtroom, Jeffrey Chabro said this was a “complex case” for India and the US and there should be no rush to take a decision. He also told the magistrate that Nikhil Gupta is a vegetarian. Therefore, they should be given vegetarian food in jail.
What is the charge on Nikhil?
In fact, the prosecution has accused Gupta of being involved in a conspiracy to award a contract to a man to kill the Khalistan leader. Nikhil Gupta is accused of conspiring to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a campaigner for Khalistan who was declared a terrorist by the Indian government. Gupta has been held in a Brooklyn jail since his extradition from the Czech Republic. Gupta, 52, was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30 last year. After this, America demanded his extradition.
Why were they brought to America from the Czech Republic?
His extradition was put on hold earlier this year due to an appeal against his extradition to the Czech Constitutional Court. When his appeal was rejected last month, the way for him to be extradited to the US was cleared. In January, Gupta’s lawyer filed a petition in a New York court saying he was deprived of basic human rights while in custody in Prague. The lawyer had requested the court in January to order the prosecution to hand over more information about the case to the defense so that it could defend Gupta.
First published: June 18, 2024, 07:50 IST