India rejects US court order involving officials in Pannun case

India on Tuesday rejected what it described as fabricated allegations and frivolous lawsuits against its senior officials in a US civil case filed by Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, while raising concerns over reported attempts by Chinese nationals to portray neighbourhoods in Bangladesh as parts of New Delhi. At its biweekly media briefing in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also outlined India’s diplomatic efforts to promote peace between Russia and Ukraine, reiterated its position on safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and defended its longstanding engagement with lobbying firms in Washington.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected lawsuit against Ajit Doval and Former R&AW Chief. Responding to a question on a US court order allowing Pannun to pursue the service of summons on National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Samant Goel through Indian courts, Jaiswal said, “We reject the fabricated and malicious attacks on our high officials. Also, we reject the frivolous lawsuits.” He further clarified, “A request for the service of judicial documents in India can only be routed through India’s designated central authority, which is the Ministry of Law and Justice.”
The development follows a November 9 order by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in a civil lawsuit filed by Pannun. The court, presided over by US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, granted his request to pursue service of summons on Doval and Goel through Indian courts. Pannun filed the case in September 2024, alleging that Indian officials were involved in a plot to assassinate him in New York in 2023.