Indian national Nikhil Gupta’s sentencing in Gurpatwant Pannun murder plot case delayed to November 20
A US federal court has delayed the sentencing of Nikhil Gupta, who pleaded guilty to plotting to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to November 20, according to court filings.Gupta’s sentencing was originally 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 more time to attend and speak at the sentencing, PTI reported, citing court filings.The victim was not named in the court filings. However, Pannun’s lawyer has publicly identified him as the target of the alleged murder-for-hire plot.In a letter filed before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, 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 in the letter.The prosecutors added that Gupta’s defence team had no objection to the postponement and was available on November 6 or November 20. Judge Victor Marrero granted the request and rescheduled Gupta’s sentencing for November 20 at 10 am.Gupta pleaded guilty to three chargesGupta pleaded guilty on February 13 to all three charges against him, murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with the alleged plot to kill 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 Gupta of arranging to pay $100,000 to a hitman to assassinate Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen.The alleged plot was reportedly carried out at the direction of an Indian government official identified by US authorities as Vikash Yadav.The plot was disrupted after the person Gupta believed to be a hitman turned out to be an undercover US federal agent. According to the US Department of Justice, Yadav allegedly recruited Gupta in May 2023 to help coordinate the planned killing of Pannun in New York.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.
