Czech court rules Nikhil Gupta can be extradited to US
An appeals court in the Czech Republic has ruled that Prague can extradite Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, to the United States (US). To recall, American prosecutors have charged Gupta with plotting to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. A government official said Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek will make the final decision on the 52-year-old's extradition once the latest ruling is delivered to all parties in the case, per Reuters.
Why does this story matter?
Gupta, a Delhi-based businessman, was arrested last year in June in the Czech Republic. He was later charged by the US in November with conspiring to assassinate the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) supremo. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) alleged that an Indian government employee hired Gupta to orchestrate Pannun's assassination. At the employee's direction, Gupta hired a hitman to assassinate the Khalistani separatist, but the hitman turned out to be an undercover federal agent.
Minister of justice to decide on Gupta's extradition
On the appeals court's ruling, Czech Justice Ministry spokesperson Vladimir Repka said, "After the court's decision has been delivered to all parties, all file material in the case will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice." Repka added that Minister of Justice Blazek will be deciding whether or not to approve the 52-year-old accused's extradition to the US.
Minister can submit proposal to review decision
If Blazek has doubts over the correctness of the appeals court's decision, he can submit a proposal to the Supreme Court to review the decision within three months. The spokesperson, however, added that the timeline for the minister's decision can't be assumed immediately. "The requested party (Gupta) can be expected to use all available means to prevent extradition," Repka asserted.
Gupta claims mistaken identity in Pannun assassination plot case
Meanwhile, Czech news outlet Seznam Zpravy reported that Gupta accused had argued his identity was mistaken and that he was not the man the US was looking for. He further labeled the case as "political." Earlier, the Prague High Court rejected the accused Indian national's plea against a December 2023 decision by a lower court that ruled his extradition was allowed.
Indian SC earlier junked Gupta's legal aid plea
Earlier in January, India's Supreme Court (SC) rejected a plea seeking legal aid and consular access for Gupta. An SC bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said there was nothing the apex court could do as it was a sensitive matter, adding the Indian government would determine how to proceed. The bench added that the foreign court's jurisdiction and sovereignty should be respected.
