Government silent on Pannun case, officials awaiting New York court documents

Three days after Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta pleaded “guilty” at a court in New York to charges of murder, conspiracy, and money laundering to assassinate Khalistani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the government has yet to comment on the case.

According to investigators in the United States, Mr. Gupta, an Indian businessman, worked with an Indian “government employee” Vikash Yadav, believed to have been associated with India’s external intelligence agency R&AW, to hire a hitman to carry out Mr. Pannun’s murder for a total sum of $100,000. Mr. Yadav, who was arrested in December 2023 in Delhi in a separate case of kidnapping and extortion, has been out on bail since April 2024 and is expected to appear for his next hearing later this week on February 20, according to his lawyers.

In court last Friday (February 13, 2026), Mr. Gupta, who had thus far pleaded “not guilty” and accused the U.S. authorities of mistreatment and wrongful arrest, made an unexpected appearance, and pleaded guilty to the three counts: murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“In the spring of 2023, I agreed with another person to murder a person in the U.S. I delivered $15,000 in cash by phone [as an advance] to a person in the U.S.,” Mr. Gupta had told the judge when asked what he was pleading guilty to. Mr. Gupta had been arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2023 and subsequently extradited to the United States.

Mr. Gupta has consular access

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) refused to comment on the developments in the New York court. Officials indicated that they would await court documents, and confirmed that the Indian Consulate-General in New York had been granted consular access to Mr. Gupta, an Indian citizen, and were prepared to assist him with any consular requirements.

In his pleadings, Mr. Gupta told the judge in the Southern District of New York court that in 2023, he “agreed with another person” to murder a person in the U.S., and delivered $15,000 as an advance for the job. Mr. Gupta will face the court again on May 29 this year for sentencing, which could add up to a maximum of 40 years in prison on the three counts combined. It is unclear, however, whether he has confessed his guilt in lieu of a lesser sentence as part of a larger agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office, which would involve his cooperation in the investigation or as an ”approver”.

“The FBI will continue to aggressively defend the homeland against any foreign adversaries who target our citizens for exercising their constitutionally protected rights,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle said in a statement after the guilty plea, and said Mr. Gupta facilitated a “foreign adversary’s unlawful effort to silence a vocal critic of the Indian government”. Another FBI official called it a case of “transnational repression” for exercising freedom of speech.

The government has denied any knowledge or involvement in the plot to kill Mr. Pannun, which Canadian officials say is linked to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023, which had led to a rupture in India-Canada ties. With Mr. Gupta choosing to waive the requirement of a trial in the U.S., the focus of investigators would turn next to the prosecution of Mr. Yadav, who has an FBI “wanted” notice out for him. According to a second indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office in October 2024, Mr. Gupta took orders from Mr. Yadav and exchanged messages on organising the killing of Mr. Pannun, who is wanted in India on terror charges, and has frequently issued threats against India.

U.S Attorney’s view

In its case, the U.S. Attorney’s office stressed their charge that the plot against Mr. Pannun was a political one, linked to “silencing” Mr. Pannun, a few days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State visit to the U.S. on June 23, 2023 hosted by then U.S. President Joseph Biden.

“Nikhil Gupta thought that from outside [the U.S.] he could kill someone in it without consequence, simply for exercising their American right to free speech. But he was wrong and he will face justice. Our message to all nefarious foreign actors should be clear: steer clear of the United States and our people,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said.

(With inputs from Vijaita Singh)