Punnan murder: Indian government has been summoned by the US court over its backlog
Sub head- Pannun sought compensation for an alleged assassination attempt against him on US soil last year.
The Center is yet to respond to the summons Pannu's X handle, on which he shared a copy of the summons, has been put on hold, NDTV reported.
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A US court has summoned the Indian government after Gurpatwant Singh Pannoon, general counsel for the pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice, initiated a civil case in US federal district court against the Indian government, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and others. . Pannun sought compensation for an alleged assassination attempt against him on US soil last year.
The Center is yet to respond to the summons Pannu's X handle, on which he shared a copy of the summons, has been put on hold, NDTV reported.
Pannun, a US-Canadian dual citizen of Indian origin designated as a terrorist by India, avoided an attempt on his life in June 2023. According to the Times of India, the suit, filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, names former R&AW chief Samant Goel, senior R&AW officer Vikram Yadav, and Nikhil Gupta. Gupta, an Indian national, is in a New York jail on murder-for-hire charges.
Pannun is seeking financial compensation for the insult and causing extreme emotional distress. He claims that his life is still under threat. The case alleged that Yadav was hired by R&AW Gupta to try to kill Pannun and was approved by Goyal and Doval. The plot was called off because the hitmen were undercover US agents. Although the complaint suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of the plot, he was not included in the case due to his diplomatic immunity.
The Indian government has already set up a high-level inquiry committee to probe the allegations.
Gupta is accused of trying to hire hitmen to kill Pannun. The civil suit includes "potential defendants whose identities have not yet been determined." "This lawsuit seeks to hold GOI and its top officials liable under US tort laws," said Pannun's counsel, Matthew Borden of Brown Hague & Borden LLP. "We aim to hold everyone involved in this conspiracy accountable."
According to reports, Pannun alleged that he was being targeted because he campaigned for the creation of Khalistan.
In November, the UK newspaper Financial Times reported that the US had foiled a plot to assassinate Pannun. Joe Biden administration officials later confirmed the matter.
In its first response, the External Affairs Ministry said it was a "matter of concern" and insisted that India had launched a high-level inquiry.
"The case filed against a person in a US court, allegedly linking him to an Indian official, is a matter of concern. We have said that it is also against government policy," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at the time.
In May, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India was investigating the matter, but insisted it would not affect the "upward trajectory" of Indo-US relations
