US federal court issued summons to Indian government, Ajit Doval and others in Gurpatwant Singh Pannun alleged murder plot case after diplomatic notice served in October via embassy
A US federal court has issued formal summons to the Indian government in a lawsuit related to the alleged murder plot of Sikh leader and legal advisor of ‘Sikhs for Justice’, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
According to documents filed in the Southern District Court of New York and the US State Department, on October 9, through a diplomatic note, the court notice was sent to the Indian Embassy in Washington DC.
In this case, besides the Indian government, notices have been issued naming India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, former chief of Indian intelligence agency ‘RAW’ Samant Goel, former ‘RAW’ officer Vikram Yadav and Nikhil Gupta, among others.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had filed a lawsuit in a US court in September 2024 against the Indian government and these named individuals. The lawsuit was based on revelations of the alleged murder plot against him in America, in which Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta was allegedly involved.
Nikhil Gupta was arrested in Prague in June 2023 and handed over to America. In February 2026, he pleaded guilty to three charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering.
According to investigations by US law enforcement agencies, particularly the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), former Indian officer Vikram Yadav had contacted Nikhil Gupta for the plan to kill Pannun, in light of which the US Department of Justice indicted Vikram Yadav in October 2024.
According to the US State Department, sending a diplomatic note to the Indian Embassy is a procedural action and does not reflect the US position on the ongoing civil case.
On the other hand, the Indian government has consistently denied the involvement of its officials in such plots in the past and had also set up a high-level committee in 2023 to investigate the evidence provided by America.
However, the alleged plot to attack Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and the earlier killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023 have created severe diplomatic challenges for the Indian government at the global level, due to which relations between India and Canada became severely tense and both countries recalled their diplomats.
Reaction has also come from Pakistan on the US court issuing summons to Indian officials.
Director General ISPR (DG ISPR), giving his position on the matter, said that India is involved in sponsoring, financing and facilitating terrorist activities around the world, and he described Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval as the central planner of these international activities.
