Indian national Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty in US to plot to kill Gurpatwant Pannun
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New Delhi: Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is accused by U.S. prosecutors of being enlisted by a former officer of India’s external intelligence agency to orchestrate the killing of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, has pleaded guilty to all three charges in the alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy.
The 54-year-old, who has been in U.S. custody since being extradited from the Czech Republic in June 2024, appeared before Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in a Manhattan federal court on February 12. Court records said Gupta admitted to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering — charges that together carry a possible maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Judge Netburn recommended that District Judge Victor Marrero accept the plea, ordered that Gupta remain in custody, and directed that a presentence investigation report be prepared. A control date has been set for March 15, while sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2026, the Wire reported.
In a press release, the U.S. Department of Justice said Gupta had acted at the direction of an Indian government employee to plan the killing of a U.S.-based Sikh separatist leader. James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI’s Assistant Director in Charge, was quoted as saying that the plot reflected an attempt by a foreign actor to silence a vocal critic of the Indian government on American soil.
The release also outlined Gupta’s alleged links with former R&AW employee Vikash Yadav. Prosecutors said that in 2023, Gupta worked with others in India and abroad, including Yadav, to plan the assassination of a U.S. citizen of Indian origin who leads an organisation advocating the secession of Punjab and the creation of Khalistan.
The U.S. authorities noted that the activist and his organisation have been banned by the Indian government. Court documents said Gupta had described himself in electronic communications as being involved in international narcotics and weapons trafficking, while Yadav was employed with India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses the Research and Analysis Wing.
Gupta was arrested at Václav Havel Airport in Prague in June 2023 on the basis of a U.S. request and was later extradited to face trial in New York.