India, Nov. 23 -- The federal trial of Nikhil Gupta, the Indian national accused in the United States of participating in an alleged murder-for-hire plot to eliminate Khalistani operative Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is now unlikely to begin before 17 February 2026, according to a joint letter filed in court on 11 November. In the filing, prosecutors and Gupta's newly appointed defence lawyer informed Judge Victor Marrero that additional preparation time was required, making mid-February the earliest realistic start for the proceedings.

Gupta was arrested in Prague on 30 June 2023 and extradited to the United States in June the following year. He has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrival. If the trial b...