US court dismisses Pannun’s summons claim against NSA Doval

As per the federal court, the delivery attempt failed to meet its requirements, reasserting India’s statement that Doval was never legally notified.

A US federal court has ruled that National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval was not successfully served legal summons during his visit to Washington, D.C., this February, rejecting claims by pro-Khalistan separatist lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The Southern District of New York noted that the delivery attempt failed to meet the court’s requirements, reasserting India’s statement that Doval was never legally notified. The federal court's follows a letter from Pannun’s legal team detailing multiple failed attempts to serve Doval at Blair House, the official guest residence for visiting foreign dignitaries.

According to the letter, process servers hired by Pannun were prevented from leaving the documents at the premises by US Secret Service agents, who even warned of possible arrest. Hence, following this, one process server placed the summons at a Starbucks near Blair House - a method the court deemed inadequate.

“The complaint was not delivered to a member of the hotel management or staff or any officers or agents providing security for Defendant (Doval), as required by the court's order,” the judge noted in the ruling. Notably, this aligns with India’s stance, earlier underscored by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who had dismissed the summons as “unsubstantiated” and legally invalid.

The case stems from a civil lawsuit filed by Pannun in September 2024, accusing Indian officials of allegedly orchestrating a plot to assassinate him. US prosecutors had earlier indicted Indian national Nikhil Gupta, alleging that he attempted to hire a contract killer to target Pannun on the instructions of an unnamed Indian intelligence officer. This was followed by another indictment unsealed in October that year, naming former R&AW officer Vikash Yadav as the alleged mastermind of the plan.

As tensions escalated, New Delhi launched an internal inquiry into the allegations, leading to a January 2025 recommendation for legal action against Yadav.

Pannun, designated a terrorist by India in 2020, is the spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a pro-Khalistan group that India has long urged the US to ban.