New Delhi: In his latest plea, Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta, accused in the Gurpatwant Singh Pannun assassination plot, has sought to exclude some statements made to law enforcement officers, saying he was not made aware of any rights at the time of his arrest, including the right to remain silent or to an attorney.
Documents submitted on Gupta’s behalf by his New York-based attorney Nola Heller are learnt to include a motion to suppress certain pieces of evidence and statements, as well as the third count of the second superseding indictment, pertaining to money laundering conspiracy, which can lead to 20 years’ imprisonment.
“I was not made aware of any rights at the time of my arrest including any right to remain silent or to an attorney,” Gupta said in the declaration submitted to the court on June 23, along with a motion to suppress some pieces of evidence and drop money laundering charges submitted by Heller.
It is learnt that the defence has challenged the use of data from his phones and some of the statements made to Czech and US officials immediately after his arrest in Prague on June 30, 2023. Subsequently, he was extradited to the US on June 17, 2024, to face murder-for-hire charges.
Gupta is lodged in a federal prison in New York and his trial is slated to begin on November 3. (Courtesy: Indian Express)
