In a significant legal development in New York, 54-year-old Indian national Nikhil Gupta has pled guilty in a federal court to charges related to a failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent US-based Sikh separatist leader. Pannun, a citizen of the United States and head of the advocacy group Sikhs for Justice, has long campaigned for a separate Sikh homeland, a cause India considers illegal and linked to terrorism.
Gupta appeared before a Manhattan federal court on February 13, 2026, admitting to three counts: murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Under US. law, these offenses carry a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, although sentencing guidelines suggest a likely term of 20 to 24 years. His formal sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2026.
According to prosecutors, Gupta agreed to pay $15,000 as an advance to what he thought was a hired killer to carry out the assassination in mid-2023. Unbeknownst to him, the supposed hitman was an undercover US law enforcement officer working with the DEA, who helped thwart the conspiracy.
Court filings indicate that Gupta was allegedly recruited by Vikash Yadav, identified as a former Indian government official with ties to intelligence work. Yadav, also indicted by US authorities, remains at large. Investigators allege the total contract for the murder was $100,000, and communications planning the plot were monitored by US agencies.
The case has drawn attention due to its international implications, as it involves attempts to target a political activist on American soil. US prosecutors emphasized that targeting individuals in the United States for exercising free speech and political advocacy will be met with vigorous legal action.
Gupta was previously extradited from the Czech Republic in 2024 and had been held without bail since. The case underscores ongoing concerns about transnational plots aimed at silencing political voices and highlights the role of US law enforcement in protecting residents from politically motivated violence.
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