'Forced To Eat Meat...': Nikhil Gupta, Arrested In Plot To Kill Pannun Moves SC Against Detention In Czech Republic

The family of Nikhil Gupta claims that he was detained illegally in the Czech Republic and is facing extradition to the United States. He has allegedly been forced to eat meat, against his religious beliefs.

New Delhi: The family of Nikhil Gupta, accused of conspiring to murder alleged Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India. The plea seeks the Indian government’s intervention for his release from a Czech Republic prison. The family claims that Gupta was detained illegally in the Czech Republic and is facing extradition to the United States. During his detention, he has allegedly been forced to eat meat, against his religious beliefs.

The Supreme Court hearing has been postponed to January 4th. Today, the court did not pass any order on the petition filed by Gupta’s family, stating that it is a serious matter and the extent of government intervention needs to be considered. The lawyer representing the petitioner has requested the court to summon a status report on the efforts being made by the government.

Czech Ministry Of Justice On Nikhil Gupta Case

The Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic can confirm that Mr. Nikhil Gupta was apprehended and afterwards taken into provisional custody in the Czech Republic at the request of the competent authority of the USA, which subsequently submitted the request for extradition of Mr. Gupta to the USA in August 2023. The extradition of Mr. Gupta was requested for the crime of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

After the preliminary investigation, the Municipal Public Prosecution Office in Prague filed a motion to declare the extradition as admissible. Upon this motion, the Municipal Court in Prague ruled that the extradition of Mr. Gupta to the USA is admissible. However, the decision of the Municipal Court in Prague is not yet in legal force.

Regarding the Czech court records - although the proceedings before the courts are public, a remote online access is not available. The decisions of the Czech courts are also not publicly available online.