New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to the US, the Indian government has rejected summons issued by a New York court for National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, former R&AW chief Samant Goel and others in relation to an alleged murder plot against Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

“These are completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations,” said Foreign Secretary Vikrim Misri during a special press briefing Thursday. 

According to sources in the Indian security establishment, Doval will be accompanying the Prime Minister on his visit to the US from 21-23 September. During the visit, Modi will be attending the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Delaware, and a high-level business roundtable along with a session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

“Now that this particular case has been lodged. It doesn’t change our views about the underlying situation. I would only invite your attention to the person behind this particular case whose antecedents are well known,” Misri, who took over as foreign secretary this July, told reporters in Delhi. 

Pannun was designated an individual terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2020 for “challenging the sovereignty, integrity and security” of India and advocating a separate state of Khalistan. Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the outfit he founded, has been outlawed in India since 2019.

“I would also underline the fact that the organisation so-called that this person represents is an unlawful organisation. It has been declared as such under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967. It has been done so on account of its involvement in anti-national and subversive activities aimed at disrupting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India,” the foreign secretary added.

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US court summons Doval & others

Early Thursday morning, Pannun shared on social media a document part of the civil lawsuit filed in the US District Court for Southern District of New York naming Doval, the former R&AW chief, R&AW agent Vikram Yadav and jailed Indian businessman Nikhil Gupta. 

The summons from the US court asks the Indian government and those named to file a reply within 21 days.

Gupta has been charged with hiring a hitman to kill Pannun, a US citizen. He appeared in court this June for a hearing in which he pleaded not guilty to charges levelled against him. Gupta was previously extradited to the US from the Czech Republic where he was initially arrested.

Last November, India set up a high-level committee to look into accusations of the involvement of Indian government officials in the alleged assassination plot. This came after US federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Gupta over the alleged assassination attempt.

Asked about the update on the inquiry’s findings, Misri said: “As has been said from this platform in the past, when these issues were first brought to our attention, we have taken certain action. These issues and allegations are being inquired into by the high-level committee and the relevant agencies on both sides have engaged on this.”

Top officials from the US State Department have frequently visited Delhi this year, including NSA Jake Sullivan and Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. In June, after a trip to India along with Sullivan, Campbell said Washington has “consistently asked for updates” on the high-level committee and is seeking “accountability”.

“We have sought accountability and we have held constructive dialogue with India on this topic [the alleged plot] and they [India] have been responsive towards our concerns. We have consistently asked for updates. The issue has been raised at the highest levels of leadership,” he had said.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)

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