Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly objected to a civil lawsuit filed in the United States by Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun against senior Indian officials, describing the legal action as fabricated, malicious and frivolous.
Responding to questions during the MEA biweekly media briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected the allegations levelled against Indian officials, including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) Chief Samant Goel.
“We reject the fabricated and malicious attacks on our high officials. Also, we reject the frivolous lawsuits,” Jaiswal said.
He also clarified that requests seeking the delivery of judicial documents within India must follow the prescribed legal channel. According to the MEA spokesperson, such requests can only be processed through the Ministry of Law and
Justice, India’s designated central authority.
The government’s response follows an order issued on November 9 by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with Pannun’s civil case. US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla permitted the plaintiff to pursue the service of legal summons on Doval and Goel through Indian judicial authorities.
Under the court’s directions, Pannun must submit a proposed set of documents by November 30. The submission must include copies of the summons, a proposed procedure for serving them, relevant provisions of Indian law, and records of previous efforts to deliver the documents under the Hague Convention.
Following the submission, the court will examine the proposed material before its clerk forwards the documents to the Indian judicial authorities identified in the request.
The order relates specifically to the procedure for delivering legal notices to the two officials. It does not establish the validity of Pannun’s allegations or amount to a judicial finding that the officials were involved in the alleged conspiracy.
Pannun initiated the civil lawsuit in September 2024, naming the Indian government, Doval, Goel, Nikhil Gupta, Vikash Yadav and several unidentified individuals as defendants. He has accused Indian officials of involvement in an alleged conspiracy to assassinate him in New York in 2023. The claims remain allegations in the ongoing civil proceedings.
The case is distinct from the criminal prosecution of Nikhil Gupta by US authorities over the alleged assassination plot. Gupta pleaded guilty in February 2026 to charges that included conspiracy to commit murder for hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
New Delhi has consistently denied any involvement of Indian officials in the alleged assassination attempt. Tuesday’s statement from the MEA reiterated India’s rejection of the accusations and underscored that foreign requests to serve judicial documents within the country must comply with established legal procedures.