The Czech Constitutional Court has rejected a petition by Indian national Nikhil Gupta trying to avoid extradition to the United States, which suspects him of involvement in a plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil.
A final decision on whether to extradite Gupta — nearly a year after his arrest — will be made by Justice Minister Pavel Blazek. The court said it ruled that lower courts had given due consideration to aspects that may prevent extradition, rejecting the complaint brought by Gupta. It also rejected arguments that the case was political.
“The Constitutional Court did not find any circumstance for which declaring extradition admissible would lead to a violation of any of the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights and freedoms,” the court said in a statement. “For the complainant, this brings the proceedings before the Czech courts to an end.”
Gupta was detained by Czech authorities shortly after he arrived in Prague on June 30 last year. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Justice Ministry said Blazek would evaluate the decision before making a ruling on the extradition itself. Gupta has been accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of working with an Indian government official on a plot to kill a New York City resident who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.
Gupta was arrested by Czech authorities in June last year when he travelled from India to Prague. The Czech Republic has in the past agreed to US extradition requests. US prosecutors have charged the Indian national with attempting to hire a hitman to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen designated as a terrorist in India. Before Gupta’s plea was rejected, he had alleged human rights violations by Czech authorities while in custody.
Earlier, the US had shared information with the Indian government about the foiled assassination bid, also asking it to investigate the alleged involvement of the Indian official. Though the identity of the Indian official was not revealed, US media reports alleged that a former Indian intelligence officer plotted to kill Pannun on American soil.
(With agency inputs)
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