New Delhi: The Indian government has strongly condemned a US court's decision to issue summons to Indian officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and former R&AW chief Samant Goel, in connection with the assassination attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri responded to the summons by describing them as "completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated." Misri highlighted that the case does not alter India's stance on the issue and questioned the credibility of the case's source. "The organisation involved in this case is declared unlawful under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967 due to its anti-national activities aimed at undermining India's sovereignty," Misri stated. The summons were issued by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Nikhil Gupta and Vikram Yadav, both implicated in the case, were also named in the summons. Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic last year at the request of the US government and was extradited to the US in June.

A report by The Washington Post in April 2024 linked Vikram Yadav, an R&AW officer, to the plot, and suggested that then-R&AW chief Samant Goel had approved the operation. The Indian government has refuted these claims, labeling them as baseless. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada, is sought in India on terror charges and has been designated a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

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