The Czech Republic’s highest court has stopped the extradition of Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national accused by the United States of planning the assassination of Khalistan terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The Indian Express reported on Tuesday that the decision was made after reviewing concerns about potential harm to public interest caused by delaying the extradition. Markéta Andrová, a spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Justice, informed IE that the interim ruling means “the Minister of Justice cannot decide on extradition or refusal until the Constitutional Court decides on the merits of the complaint filed by Nikhil Gupta.”

The Constitutional Court in Prague issued an interim ruling on January 30, 2024, stating that extraditing Nikhil Gupta to the US would cause him significantly more harm than anyone else, emphasizing the irreversible nature of this action even if his challenge is successful.

The ministry of justice representative also mentioned that there is no fixed timeframe for the Constitutional Court to issue its verdict on the extradition’s merit.

Nikhil Gupta, who faces charges of murder-for-hire carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, is currently in custody. Czech authorities arrested and detained him on June 30 under the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.

In response, the Ministry of External Affairs expressed concern over the case, stating that a US court’s indictment against an individual allegedly linked to an Indian official goes against government policy. India has initiated a high-level committee to investigate the matter. Reacting to the US Justice Department’s indictment in November 2023, an MEA spokesperson stated, “We cannot share any further information on such security matters. As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern. We have said and let me reiterate that this is contrary to government policy.”

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an India-designated terrorist holding American and Canadian citizenship, was the target of the alleged assassination plot. In November, the US Justice Department revealed an indictment against Nikhil Gupta for his purported involvement in the foiled assassination attempt.