A 54-year-old Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to an alleged failed assassination of a prominent Sikh separatist and a US resident, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The US District Court for the Southern District of New York is hearing the case.
The case has stirred concerns about foreign interference, legal accountability, and diplomatic relations between India and the United States.
Gupta entered his plea on February 13, 2026, before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn, confessing to three federal counts–murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering–connected to the plot to kill Pannun in New York City.
Prosecutors allege Gupta coordinated the plan and agreed to pay approximately $100,000 for the hit, transferring an initial $15,000 advance to an undercover agent he believed was a hitman.
As per reports, if sentenced under US federal guidelines, Gupta faces a combined maximum of 40 years in prison. However, legal analysts suggest that his guilty plea, often interpreted as acceptance of responsibility, may significantly reduce that sentence, potentially to approximately 20 years or less under sentencing guidelines.
According to the US Department of Justice and prosecutors, Gupta’s plans were disrupted when the person he contacted turned out to be a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) undercover officer, part of a larger federal operation that brought the plot to light before any real attempt on Pannun’s life.
Court filings indicate that Gupta was allegedly recruited by an individual identified in US filings as Vikash Yadav, described as an officer linked to India’s external intelligence service. Though charged alongside Gupta, Yadav remains at large in India.
Gupta had previously been arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 and was later extradited to the US to face charges.
US authorities have described the plot as evidence of “transnational repression” attempts by foreign actors to harm political activists or dissidents on US soil and have repeatedly stated their commitment to ensuring that individuals within the United States are protected regardless of the political views they espouse.
Gupta’s extradition from the Czech Republic followed a series of legal battles after his 2023 arrest. Czech judicial authorities, including the Constitutional Court, rejected his petition to block extradition on constitutional grounds, leading to his transfer to US custody in June 2024 to face federal charges.
At his US court appearance in Manhattan, prosecutors stated that Gupta’s involvement was clear enough to avoid a full trial, resulting in the guilty plea. Though sources close to Gupta’s family have denied that he has agreed to cooperate further with US prosecutors, his plea eliminates the need for a protracted trial and brings him closer to a formal sentencing, currently set for May 29, 2026.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen and lawyer associated with the advocacy organisation ‘Sikhs for Justice’ has long been a vocal supporter of establishing an independent Khalistan state in northern India. India’s government considers Pannun a terrorist and has banned his group under Indian counter-terrorism designations.
In the wake of Gupta’s guilty plea, the Government of India has firmly rejected any suggestion that Gupta was acting on behalf of the Indian state. Officials in New Delhi, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the diplomatic sensitivity of the matter, told international media that Gupta was a private individual with no official links to the Indian government. They reiterated that New Delhi was not involved in the alleged assassination plot and has been awaiting further details from court proceedings to determine its next steps.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not offered extensive comment beyond its denial, and continues to follow the case closely, stressing that Indian counter-terrorism policy does not extend to conducting or endorsing extrajudicial actions abroad.
The case has re-energized international scrutiny after related tensions between India and Western countries, including the diplomatic fallout from the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, another high-profile Sikh separatist. Former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused Indian operatives of involvement in that killing, an allegation India strongly denied at the time.
The case has highlighted broader diplomatic tensions between India and Western countries over measures taken against political dissidents and activists. US lawmakers have previously warned that unresolved allegations of foreign interference “could cause serious damage” to Indo-US ties if left unaddressed.
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