US not to speak on Pannun affair until charges proved before jury
Nikhil Gupta, an Indian, has been accused by the US of involvement in the alleged attempt to kill Pannun, who holds American and Canadian citizenship
The US State Department has said it won’t comment on charges that India had a hand in a plot to assassinate Khalistani Gurpatwant Singh Pannun until the allegations are proved before a jury.
"There's a publicly returned indictment that contains alleged facts or allegations. Until they're proven before a jury that anyone can go and read, I won't speak to them here because, of course, it's an ongoing legal matter, and I'll leave it at that," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday.
Nikhil Gupta
Nikhil Gupta, 52 and an Indian, has been accused by the United States of involvement in the alleged attempt to kill Pannun, who holds American and Canadian citizenship.
The US Justice Department has claimed that an Indian government employee recruited Gupta to hire a hitman for allegedly assassinating Pannun.
Indian investigation
Gupta is now in custody in the Czech Republic where he was detained on June 30, 2023. A Czech court has ruled that the country can extradite Gupta to the US.
An Indian government investigation to probe the charges made by the US is still continuing.