Pannu, a designated terrorist by India, claims that Indian officials hatched a plot to assassinate him, which he claims was foiled when the hired killer turned out to be an undercover US agent.
Responding to the summons, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said: “As we have said before, these are completely baseless and unsubstantiated accusations. Now that this particular case has been filed, it does not Change our view of the underlying situation.
“I just want to draw your attention to the person behind this particular case, whose antecedents are well known. I would also like to highlight the fact that the so-called organization this person represents is an illegal organization and has been declared illegal under the Unlawful Activities Act organize.
U.S. court summons
The subpoena issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York names several senior Indian officials, including the national security adviser Ajit Dovalformer Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) director Samant Goel and R&AW agent Vikram Yadav.
It also mentioned Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national who is being held in a New York prison on charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder for allegedly hiring a hitman to murder Pannon.
The civil case also targets other “possible defendants who are currently unidentified.”
The pro-Khalistan terrorist is seeking financial compensation for the attack and emotional distress, claiming his life remains in danger as a result of the alleged assassination attempts.
Pannon’s claims are particularly controversial because he is considered a terrorist in India and has been linked to various activities promoting Khalistani separatism. His lawsuit cited past incidents, including the killing of another Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijar in Canada.
Litigation content
The lawsuit alleges that Yadav, at the direction of R&AW, recruited Gupta to hire hitmen to murder Pannon, and that the murder plot was approved by Goel and Doval.
However, the operation was foiled because the killer was an undercover U.S. law enforcement agent.
The indictment alleges that Prime Minister Modi knew of the murder plot, but he is not named in the lawsuit because he enjoys immunity as a foreign head of state.
Pannun claimed in the complaint that there were no “rogue agents” behind the conspiracy and claimed that “India has been traced to more than 20 recent international murders committed by R&AW”.
“This lawsuit seeks to hold the Indian government and certain senior officials accountable under U.S. tort law,” said Matthew Borden, Pannon’s attorney. “Our goal is to hold everyone involved in this conspiracy accountable.” ”.
Pannon claimed in the complaint that he was targeted because of his work to create Kalistan and is hosting an unofficial Khalistani referendum.
