US requests delay of Nikhil Gupta sentencing in Gurpatwant Pannun murder plot case
Indian national Nikhil Gupta pled guilty in a 2023 murder-for-hire case involving pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in February.
The United States has asked for a delay in sentencing for Nikhil Gupta in the Gurpatwant Pannun murder-for-hire case, according to court documents. In correspondence with US District Court Judge Victor Marrero of the Southern District of New York, US Attorney James Macdonald stated that the victim likely wanted to be present during the sentencing and would be abroad on the originally scheduled date of September 25.
US attorneys have sought a brief extension to accommodate the victim's right to participate in the sentencing, and the defense has not opposed the delay, stating they are available for a hearing on November 6 or 20, 2026. Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty in February 2023 to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The case drew controversy after US law enforcement alleged that Gupta had been recruited by an Indian government official to carry out the murder. Gupta initially denied the charges when extradited to the United States in 2024 from the Czech Republic. US authorities claim that Gupta was contacted by an individual representing the Indian government in May 2023, identified as "CC-1" and connected to the Indian government's security and intelligence operations.
According to prosecutors, Vikash Yadav, a former Central Reserve Police Force officer serving in the Indian Cabinet Secretariat, recruited Gupta in May 2023 for the murder-for-hire conspiracy. Gupta allegedly approached someone he believed to be a criminal associate and paid $15,000 to an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman in June 2023.
The case has been linked to the 2023 murder of Indian government critic Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times - World News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
