India has strongly pushed back against allegations levelled by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun against National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Samant Goel in a civil lawsuit filed before a US court. Dismissing the allegations as “fabricated and malicious”, New Delhi has also termed the legal proceedings frivolous.
The response from the Indian government came after the US State Department confirmed that it had formally served court-issued summonses on India through diplomatic channels, bringing the contentious lawsuit into focus.
On Tuesday, November 10, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made it clear that India would not accept the allegations against its senior officials or the legal proceedings initiated by Pannun.
“We reject the fabricated and malicious attacks on our high officials. Also, we reject the frivolous lawsuits. A request for serving of judicial documents in India can only be routed through India’s designated central authority, that is, the Ministry of Law and Justice,” Jaiswal said.
According to the US State Department, the summonses and related documents were transmitted to the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. on October 9, following the signing of a diplomatic note on September 30, 2026.
The diplomatic communication invoked the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), a US law that lays down the circumstances under which foreign governments and certain state-linked entities or officials can face legal proceedings in American courts.
“The Department has no discretion in carrying out this request from the District Court under the FSIA,” the note stated.
What is Pannun alleging against Ajit Doval and Samant Goel?
The lawsuit was filed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who serves as legal counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a separatist organisation banned in India.
Pannun has sought damages over an alleged conspiracy to assassinate him on American soil. In his civil complaint, he has accused senior Indian officials, including NSA Ajit Doval and former R&AW chief Samant Goel, of being involved in the purported assassination plot.
Pannun is wanted by Indian investigative agencies in connection with multiple terrorism-related charges. India has repeatedly condemned the activities of SFJ and taken action against the organisation, which has been designated as an unlawful outfit in the country.
The 2023 US investigation into alleged assassination plot
The allegations in Pannun’s civil lawsuit are connected to a separate criminal investigation initiated by American authorities into an alleged attempt to arrange his assassination in New York.
The controversy came into the spotlight in November 2023, when US prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with allegedly participating in a conspiracy to murder Pannun. According to the US indictment, Gupta was accused of working with an individual described as an Indian government employee to arrange the killing.
American investigators alleged that the purported operation involved attempts to hire a hitman to eliminate Pannun in the United States. The alleged plot was foiled before the killing could be carried out.
It is important to distinguish between the two proceedings. While the US criminal case concerns the alleged conspiracy and the individuals accused of participating in it, Pannun’s civil lawsuit seeks damages and directly names senior Indian officials.
India’s latest response makes clear that New Delhi considers the allegations against its officials baseless and rejects the attempt to pursue the matter through the American civil court system.
