Pannun murder attempt case: Accused Nikhil Gupta can be extradited to US, rules Czech court

The Pannun murder plot case and the main accused Nikhil Gupta have hit the news headlines again following a Czech court ruling, reports said on January 20.

An appeals court in the Czech Republic has ruled that Gupta, a 52-year-old Indian accused by the US of involvement in the unsuccessful murder plot of the Sikh separatist on American soil, can be extradited to the US.

A spokesperson from the Czech Ministry of Justice has revealed that the final decision regarding the extradition of Gupta will rest with the country's Justice Minister Pavel Blazek.


This decision will be made once all parties involved in the case have been informed.

In the case, Gupta is facing accusations from US federal prosecutors of colluding with an Indian government official to plan the murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani separatist who has been designated a terrorist by India.

Gupta was apprehended by Czech authorities in June of last year while traveling from India to Prague.

According to a Czech news website (seznamzpravy.cz), Gupta had argued that he was not the person the United States was looking for, claiming it to be a case of mistaken identity. The case is also politically motivated, he reportedly said.

The appeal made by Gupta against the lower court's ruling, which permitted his extradition, was dismissed by the Prague high court. A spokesperson for the high court declined to comment immediately.

It is worth mentioning here that the Czech Republic has previously honoured extradition requests from the United States.