US Court Allows Summons to Ajit Doval, Former RAW Chief Samant Goel in Pannun Case

A US federal court has allowed Khalistan separatist activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to serve legal summons on Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Samant Goel through Indian courts in connection with a civil lawsuit alleging an assassination plot against him.

US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York issued the order on November 9, 2026, granting Pannun's request to pursue service of summons on the two Indian officials through the Indian judicial system.

The court has directed Pannun to submit the required documents by November 30, including references to relevant Indian legal procedures and evidence of unsuccessful attempts to serve the defendants under the Hague Convention.

Pannun filed the civil lawsuit in September 2024, naming the Indian government, Ajit Doval, former RAW chief Samant Goel, Vikram Yadav, Nikhil Gupta and others as defendants.

In his lawsuit, Pannun alleges that Indian officials were involved in a 2023 conspiracy to assassinate him in New York. He is seeking damages for the alleged plot and the emotional distress caused by it.

In a related development, the US State Department delivered the summons, complaint and notice of the lawsuit to the Indian Embassy in Washington through a diplomatic note in October 2026. The documents were delivered on October 9, and the court was informed of the development on October 20.

Earlier, an attempt to serve Doval with legal papers during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States in February 2025 was unsuccessful. The US Secret Service declined to accept the documents, and the court subsequently confirmed that service had not been completed.

The civil lawsuit is separate from the criminal case against Nikhil Gupta, who pleaded guilty in February 2026 to charges related to murder-for-hire, conspiracy and money laundering in connection with the alleged assassination plot.

India has designated Pannun as a terrorist and banned his organisation, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), as an unlawful association. Indian officials have rejected the allegations, describing them as completely baseless and unsubstantiated.