By Imtiaz Hussain Abro

Czech court rules Indian man linked to Sikh murder plot can be extradited to US.

On Friday, a Czech appeals court decided that Prague has the authority to extradite an Indian man accused by the United States of being involved in an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil, as stated by the Justice Ministry.

The final decision regarding the extradition of 52-year-old Nikhil Gupta will rest with Justice Minister Pavel Blazek once the ruling is communicated to all involved parties, according to a ministry spokesperson speaking to Reuters.

US federal prosecutors have charged Gupta with collaborating with an Indian government official on a plan to kill a New York City resident advocating for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.

Gupta was apprehended by Czech authorities in June of the previous year during his travel from India to Prague.

Czech news website www.seznamzpravy.cz, the first to report on the appeals decision, mentioned that Gupta argued his identity had been mistaken and that he was not the individual the United States sought. He characterized the case as political.

“The time frame for the minister’s decision cannot be assumed at this point,” stated the Justice Ministry spokesperson, highlighting that Gupta is likely to take all available measures to prevent extradition.

The minister has a three-month window to appeal to the Supreme Court if there are doubts about the lower court’s decisions, the spokesperson added.

The Prague High Court rejected Gupta’s appeal against a December ruling by a lower court that permitted extradition.

A spokesperson for the Prague High Court declined immediate comment. The Czech Republic has previously agreed to extradition requests from the United States.

Gupta’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Czech news website quoted the lawyer as stating that he would request the minister not to extradite Gupta and would also bring the case to the Constitutional Court.