US serves diplomatic summons to India over Pannun lawsuit

Pannun's background and status in India

Pannun holds American and Canadian citizenship and serves as general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, an organization that India banned in 2019. In 2020, India designated Pannun as an individual terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty to assassination plot

Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty in February to a plot to kill Pannun, which was allegedly ordered by an Indian government employee.

According to court documents, Gupta’s handler was Vikash Yadav, who US officials stated was employed by the Cabinet Secretariat of the Indian government. This secretariat includes the Research and Analysis Wing.

The indictment states that Yadav reported to an unnamed boss within the Indian government.

State Department clarifies legal requirement for service

A US State Department diplomatic note dated October 20 stated that the department was legally required to serve the summonses. The department clarified it was not taking a stance on the lawsuit.

India rejects allegations and outlines service procedures

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri characterized the allegations as "completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations" in September. While India has denied involvement in the alleged assassination plot, the government previously stated it established a high-level committee to review information provided by the United States.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday that requests to serve judicial documents in India must be routed through the Ministry of Law and Justice. This ministry acts as the country's designated central authority for such legal processes.

The United States plans to become the first nation to decline a routine review of its human-rights record by the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. The council conducts universal periodic reviews of all 193 member states every four to five years, and the United States had already missed its scheduled review in November 2025.

The Trump administration pulled the United States out of the Human Rights Council last year, alleging the organization is biased against the United States and Israel and fails to uphold its own values. A State Department spokesperson told the Associated Press via email, "(W)e give no credibility to the agency." The spokesperson further stated that the council "makes a mockery of human rights through consistent failures to uphold its own 'values' as it pushes anti-American rhetoric".

Proponents of the council maintain that its purpose is to oversee human-rights situations in all 193 U.N. member states, including the United States. The United States has faced criticism for policies such as forceful deportations and targeted killings of suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific, actions the administration claims protect U.S. workers and national security.

The council states that its review process requires participation by the country under review, and without any national representatives, the review cannot proceed. Critics warn that the United States' walkout could encourage other nations, many of which resent intense scrutiny from human-rights monitors, to also refuse participation in future reviews.