The trial concerning a man accused of orchestrating murder plots on behalf of the Indian government in New York has been postponed. The defendant, Nikhil (Nick) Gupta, who is also accused of involvement in drug and arms trafficking, was set to face trial in New York City but has requested a delay.
Gupta is facing charges of collaborating with Indian government officials and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) to plan the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh activist labeled as a terrorist by the Indian government. Prosecutors have indicated their intent to introduce new evidence during the trial, including wiretap recordings and videos related to the killing of Pannun’s associate, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, B.C., in 2023.
The trial has the potential to complicate diplomatic relations between India and Canada by revisiting the controversy surrounding India’s alleged involvement in the Nijjar killing and presenting new evidence implicating Indian officials.
Gupta has voiced concerns about his court-appointed lawyer and has expressed a desire to represent himself during the trial. Allegations of unprofessional conduct against his lawyer led to a motion for a new lawyer and the subsequent trial delay.
Although Gupta is not directly implicated in the plot to assassinate Hardeep Singh Nijjar, U.S. prosecutors intend to delve into the connections between the alleged assassination plot and the group responsible for Nijjar’s death in British Columbia. The court documents mention an unindicted co-conspirator, Vikash Yadav, who was reportedly associated with R&AW at the time.
The prosecution plans to present wiretap conversations between Gupta and an individual he believed would assist in the assassination, as well as recordings of Gupta interacting with an undercover agent posing as a hitman. The trial evidence is expected to challenge India’s stance on the involvement of its officials in the conspiracy and the Nijjar killing.
Federal authorities have indicated that they possess wiretap evidence showing Gupta sharing a video of Nijjar’s killing with a supposed hitman shortly after the incident, urging the hitman to track and eliminate the target in New York, Pannun.