US State Department Serves Indian Government with Subpoena in Khalistani Separatist Gurpatwant Pannun’s Civil Lawsuit | Today’s news
The US State Department on Monday served the Indian government through diplomatic channels with a summons in a civil lawsuit filed by Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also clarified that it is required by law to do so and does not take any position on the case.
A New York court had earlier allowed Pannun, who has been declared a terrorist in India, to sue National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Branch (RAW) chief Samant Goel through Delhi courts.
A murder-for-hire investigation in the US
The civil lawsuit is related to the Justice Department’s murder-for-hire investigation in the U.S. in which Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, was arrested in the Czech Republic in 2023.
According to the Justice Department, Gupta pleaded guilty in February 2026 in Manhattan federal court to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the failed assassination attempt on an American citizen and a Sikh activist on American soil.
Gupta, an alleged drug smuggler, was recruited in May 2023 by Vikash Yadav, a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer, to carry out the murder.
Gupta faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 40 years in prison.
Pannun claims new credible threat to life
In August, Pannun, the lead attorney for Sikhs For Justice, which is banned in India as an illegal association, claimed that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had warned him that he faced a new credible threat to his life.
Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, said he was warned by FBI agents who visited him on Aug. 12 that he should not travel until the threat was resolved and, if so, that the agency should be notified of his plans in advance.
He said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police alerted him by phone on Tuesday, although neither law enforcement agency provided any details about the uncovered plot. Messages seeking comment from both law enforcement agencies were not immediately returned.
Pannun said he was warned under the terms of the United States’ “Duty to Warn” law, which obliges US intelligence and law enforcement agencies to notify individuals when they discover credible and specific threats of murder, serious bodily harm or kidnapping.
