Explained: US case against Nikhil Gupta, who pleaded guilty of plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Pannun

INdian subject Nikhil Gupta has pleaded hangdog to plotting the assassination of pro-Khalistan separationist and US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who lives in young house of york City, the US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York confirmed.“Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a US citizen in New York City,” US attorney Jay Clayton told HT, “He thought that from outside this country he could kill someone in it without consequence, simply for exercising their American right to free speech. But he was wrong, and he will face justice.”Gupta has remained in custody in Brooklyn without bail since he was extradited from the Czech Republic in June 2024.ALSO READ | Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Khalistani separatist, posts controversial video after Pahalgam attackExplained: The case against Nikhil GuptaThe 54-year-old admitted guilt on three counts: murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.Notably, US law enforcement agencies have claimed that Gupta was brought into the murder-for-hire plot by a person working for the Indian government, a charge that New Delhi denies and says such a move goes against its official policy.As per the US indictment, a person designated “CC-1” and described as a “Senior Field Officer” responsible for “security management” and “intelligence” contacted Gupta in May 2023 and hired him for the killing.Who is ‘CC-1’?The US government later named CC-1 as Vikash Yadav, who served in the Central Reserve Police Force. At the time of the alleged plot, he was said to be working in India’s cabinet secretariat, which houses the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), according to the US indictment.The US justice department officially charged Yadav in October 2024. He is still in India and has not been arrested. However, the Delhi Police have registered a separate extortion case against him.After Yadav was formally indicted in October 2024, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The US State Department informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India.”How Nikhil Gupta was ‘recruited’Prosecutors said Yadav recruited Gupta, who described himself in messages to Yadav as an international narcotics and weapons trafficker, to kill a “vocal critic of the Indian government” who “leads a US-based organisation that advocates for the secession of Punjab”.Media reports later identified the intended target as Pannun, who holds dual US and Canadian citizenship and heads Sikhs for Justice, which is banned in India.‘Hitman turned out to be undercover US agent’Referring to intercepted messages between Gupta and Yadav, authorities said Gupta contacted someone he believed was a criminal contact to arrange a hitman.That person was actually a confidential source for US agencies. He directed Gupta to an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hired killer. Acting on Yadav’s instructions, Gupta agreed to pay $100,000 for the killing and gave $15,000 in advance in June 2023, prosecutors said.What's the Nijjar angle?US authorities have also connected the Pannun plot to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan separatist declared a terrorist by India, who was shot dead by gunmen outside a gurdwara in Canada’s British Columbia. According to the indictment, Yadav allegedly sent Gupta a video of Nijjar’s body just hours after the shooting.“On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, Gupta told the UC that Nijjar ‘was also the target’ and ‘we have so many targets.’ Gupta added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was ‘now no need to wait’ on killing the Victim. On or about June 20, 2023, Yadav sent Gupta a news article about the victim and messaged Gupta, ‘[i]t’s [a] priority now’,” according to the US justice department.Canada later alleged that India was linked both to Nijjar's killing and to the plot against Pannun. India rejected any role in either case. The two countries have since had a thaw and are set for wider trade relations.ALSO READ | India condemns vandalisation of national flag by Khalistanis at embassy in CroatiaWhat India said on the allegations in the pastReplying to the claims, the Indian government said earlier that it treated US “inputs” seriously and set up a high-level probe panel in November 2023 to examine the issue.“After a long enquiry, the committee has submitted its report to the government and recommended legal action against an individual, whose earlier criminal links and antecedents also came to notice during the enquiry,” the ministry of home affairs said in January 2025.The panel, led by a senior National Security Council official, said in a report submitted to the government earlier this year that legal steps should be taken against a person whose “criminal links and antecedents” had surfaced, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.The committee also suggested “functional improvements” in procedures to strengthen India’s response and to ensure proper systems when handling such cases.Earlier, the Indian government also rejected claims by Canadian authorities that government agents were connected to Nijjar’s killing, calling them “absurd”. New Delhi has also said Ottawa did not share any proof to support the accusations.How many years in prison could Gupta face?After pleading guilty to three charges, including murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, Gupta could receive a combined maximum sentence of 40 years in jail, HT reported earlier.However, news agency Reuters said in a report that Gupta may get around 20 to 24 years in prison under recommended federal sentencing guidelines.He is due to be sentenced by US District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29.