NEW DELHI
\nThe family of an Indian man in Czech custody, whom the U.S. accuses of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil, on Friday asked India\u2019s top court to direct the government to give him consular assistance.
\nThe man, Nikhil Gupta, 52, has been accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of working with an Indian government official on the plot to kill a New York City resident who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.
\nGupta was arrested by Czech authorities in June when he travelled from India to Prague and is awaiting extradition to the U.S.
\nThe Gupta family petition said he was \u201cillegally detained\u201d in Prague, denied the right to contact his family in India and the freedom to seek legal representation.
\nIt requested the court direct the Indian government to provide Gupta with consular assistance to ensure he gets a fair extradition hearing in Prague.
\nThe court posted the petition for hearing on Jan. 4.
\nIndia has expressed concern about one of its government officials being linked to the plot, from which it dissociated itself, and said it would carry out its own investigation.
\nThe Indian foreign ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Friday.
\nThe case is delicate for both Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government and the Biden administration as they try to build closer ties in the face of an ascendant China perceived as a threat for both democracies.
\nIt comes two months after Canada said there were \u201ccredible\u201d allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a Vancouver suburb, a contention India has rejected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI The family of an Indian man in Czech custody, whom the U.S. accuses of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil, on Friday asked India\u2019s top court to direct the government to give him consular assistance. The man, Nikhil Gupta, 52, has been accused by U.S. federal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-374918","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n