A US federal court has postponed the sentencing of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who pleaded guilty to charges related to a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, to November 20, according to court filings.
Gupta’s sentencing had been scheduled for September 25 before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The hearing was postponed after the alleged intended victim requested additional time to attend and address the court during the sentencing proceedings, PTI reported, citing court filings.
The victim was not identified in the court documents. However, Pannun’s lawyer has publicly identified him as the intended target of the alleged murder-for-hire plot.
In a letter filed with the court, federal prosecutors said the unnamed victim “wishes to participate in the sentencing” and requested that the September 25 hearing be adjourned.
“The Government respectfully requests the Court grant a brief adjournment to effectuate the victim’s statutory rights to attend and be heard at the sentencing,” prosecutors said.
Gupta’s defence team did not oppose the request and indicated that it was available on November 6 or November 20. Judge Victor Marrero subsequently granted the request and rescheduled the sentencing for November 20 at 10 am.
Gupta pleaded guilty to three charges
Gupta pleaded guilty on February 13 to three charges—murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering—in connection with the alleged plot against Pannun.
The murder-for-hire and conspiracy charges each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, while the money-laundering conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023, and extradited to the US a year later. US prosecutors have accused him of arranging to pay $100,000 to a hitman to assassinate Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen.
US authorities have alleged that the plot was directed by an Indian government official identified as Vikash Yadav. According to the US Department of Justice, Yadav recruited Gupta in May 2023 to help coordinate the planned killing of Pannun in New York.
The alleged assassination plot was disrupted after the person Gupta believed to be a hitman was revealed to be an undercover US federal agent.
Gupta’s sentencing will now take place on November 20, when the court is expected to hear from the intended victim as part of the sentencing proceedings.
