New Delhi: India has strongly rejected a civil lawsuit filed by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in a US court, describing the allegations against senior Indian officials as fabricated, malicious and frivolous.
The lawsuit names National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Samant Goel in connection with an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Pannun on American soil.
India’s response came after the US State Department confirmed that it had formally transmitted court issued summonses to the Indian government through diplomatic channels.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India firmly rejected both the allegations against its senior officials and the legal proceedings initiated in the United States. He also clarified that requests for serving judicial documents in India must be routed through the country’s designated central authority, the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The US State Department confirmed that the documents were sent to the Indian Embassy in Washington DC on October 9, 2026, following the signing of a diplomatic note on September 30. The communication referred to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), which governs the circumstances under which foreign governments and certain officials can face legal proceedings in American courts.
Pannun, who serves as legal counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), an organisation banned in India, has sought damages over the alleged assassination conspiracy. He has accused senior Indian officials of being involved in the purported plot.
The allegations are connected to a separate criminal investigation in the United States into an alleged attempt to arrange Pannun’s killing in New York.
In November 2023, US prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accusing him of working with an individual described as an Indian government employee to organise the assassination attempt. American authorities alleged that the plot was prevented before it could be carried out.
India has consistently opposed SFJ’s separatist activities and maintains that the organisation poses a threat to national security.
The criminal prosecution against Gupta and Pannun’s civil lawsuit remain separate legal proceedings, although both concern allegations surrounding the same purported assassination plot.
