Pannun Lawsuit: US Court Allows Summons to Ajit Doval
The Pannun Lawsuit has attracted international attention after a US federal court allowed Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to pursue the service of legal summons on India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Samant Goel through Indian courts in Delhi. The order was issued on 9 November 2026 by US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York.
The court directed Pannun to submit the required documents for approval by 30 November 2026. The case relates to allegations of an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Pannun on American soil. However, the court’s decision concerns the procedure for delivering legal documents and does not establish the truth of the allegations against the named individuals.
US Court Allows Summons Through Indian Courts
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York approved Pannun’s request to send legal summons for Ajit Doval and Samant Goel through Indian courts in Delhi.
Earlier attempts to deliver the legal documents to Doval had been unsuccessful. These included attempts during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington in February 2025.
The latest order provides another legal route for serving the documents. The court referred to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents and relevant provisions of Indian civil procedure law.
Pannun has been asked to submit a proposed service packet by 30 November 2026. It must include copies of the summons, details of the proposed service method, relevant Indian legal provisions and documents relating to earlier attempts to serve the papers.
After reviewing and approving the documents, the US court clerk may transmit the packet to the identified Indian courts.
What Is the Pannun Lawsuit About?
The Pannun Lawsuit was filed in September 2024 in a US federal court. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun alleged that Indian officials were involved in a plan to assassinate him in the United States.
The civil case names several defendants, including the Government of India, Ajit Doval, former RAW chief Samant Goel, Nikhil Gupta, former RAW officer Vikash Yadav and other unnamed individuals.
Pannun has sought financial damages through the civil proceedings. His allegations relate to an alleged conspiracy to arrange his assassination in New York in 2023.
The allegations in the civil lawsuit have not been established by the court. The latest order does not decide whether the defendants are responsible or whether the claims have legal merit.
Role of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) is an important US law that deals with legal cases involving foreign governments and certain government-related entities.
The law provides rules for determining when a foreign state may be brought before a US court. It also explains procedures for serving legal documents and dealing with certain government property in legal proceedings.
In this case, the US State Department separately transmitted the complaint and summonses against the Government of India through diplomatic channels to the Indian Embassy in Washington on 9 October 2026.
The department explained that the transmission was a procedural requirement under the FSIA. It clarified that this action did not represent the US government’s position on the truth of the allegations or the merits of the case.
The civil lawsuit and the procedure for serving summons on individual officials are separate legal matters.
India’s Response to the Lawsuit
The Government of India has rejected the allegations made in the Pannun civil case. Indian authorities have described the lawsuit as unwarranted and unsubstantiated.
India has also maintained that requests for serving judicial documents within the country must follow the designated legal procedure through the Ministry of Law and Justice, which acts as India’s central authority for such requests.
Following the latest court development, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated India’s rejection of the allegations and questioned attempts to serve judicial documents outside the prescribed channel.
This difference in positions highlights the legal and diplomatic issues involved in the case. The US court has approved a proposed procedure, while India has maintained its position on how foreign judicial documents should be processed within its territory.
Separate Criminal Case Involving Nikhil Gupta
The Pannun civil lawsuit is separate from a criminal case filed by US authorities against Indian national Nikhil Gupta.
US prosecutors accused Gupta of participating in a conspiracy to hire a person to assassinate Pannun in the United States. Gupta pleaded guilty to charges connected with the alleged assassination conspiracy in February 2026.
The criminal proceedings involve separate legal charges and evidence. They should not be confused with the civil lawsuit filed by Pannun against the Government of India and several individuals.
The two proceedings are connected to allegations concerning the same alleged assassination plot but follow different legal processes.
Who Is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is associated with Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), an organisation that supports the creation of an independent Khalistan state.
The Government of India has designated Pannun as a terrorist under Indian law and banned Sikhs for Justice as an unlawful organisation.
The issue has attracted attention because it involves India’s national security officials, international legal procedures and diplomatic relations between India and the United States.
Importance of the Latest US Court Order
The November 2026 order is an important procedural development in the ongoing civil case. It allows Pannun to pursue another method of delivering legal documents to Ajit Doval and Samant Goel through Indian courts.
However, permission to serve summons does not mean that the court has accepted the allegations as true. The defendants retain the right to raise legal objections and present their responses through the appropriate judicial process.
The next important step is the submission of the proposed service documents by 30 November 2026, followed by the US court’s review of the proposed procedure.
