The trial concerning an alleged murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by a man on behalf of the Indian government in New York has been postponed. Nikhil (Nick) Gupta, accused of involvement in drug and arms trafficking, was scheduled to face trial in New York City but requested a delay. Gupta is facing charges for collaborating with Indian government officials and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) to plan the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh independence activist labeled as a terrorist by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
Prosecutors have indicated their intention to introduce new evidence during the trial, including wiretaps and videos related to the killing of Pannun’s associate, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, B.C., in 2023. The trial’s revelations could potentially complicate efforts by the Indian and Canadian governments to resolve the Nijjar matter and restore normal diplomatic relations.
Gupta, who has been dissatisfied with his court-appointed attorney and has expressed a desire to represent himself at trial, successfully secured a trial delay. The judge accepted Gupta’s motion, leading to the postponement of the trial. A new pre-trial conference has been scheduled for November 14 to determine a new trial date, with Gupta now represented by a different public defender, New York lawyer David Touger.
Although Gupta is not directly implicated in the conspiracy to kill Hardeep Singh Nijjar, U.S. prosecutors plan to delve into the connections between the alleged Pannun assassination plot and the group responsible for Nijjar’s death in Surrey. The court documents suggest that Vikash Yadav, an unindicted co-conspirator and former R&AW agent, played a pivotal role in linking the two incidents. Wiretapped conversations between Gupta and confidential informants, as well as recordings with an undercover federal agent, are expected to be presented as evidence during the trial.
While the Modi government has acknowledged Yadav’s involvement in the conspiracy, it denies any further complicity within the Indian government. The evidence slated for presentation in court is likely to challenge India’s efforts to keep the two cases separate and refute its denial of involvement in Nijjar’s killing. Federal authorities claim to possess wiretap evidence showing Gupta displaying a video of Nijjar’s killing to a purported hitman shortly after the incident, urging the hitman to proceed with tracking and targeting Pannun in New York.