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New Delhi: Sentencing in the US federal case against Indian national Nikhil Gupta has been postponed to 25 September 2026, with a New York court granting a defence request for more time following a transition from court-appointed to privately retained counsel. Gupta is facing sentencing for his role in the assassination attempt against Khalistani terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
An order passed by Judge Victor Marrero on 15 April adjourned sentencing from 26 June to 25 September at 10 am after a motion filed by the defence. The adjournment came days after changes in Gupta’s legal representation were placed on record.
On 6 April, defence attorney Isabelle Kirshner filed a notice of appearance on Gupta’s behalf. Courtappointed lawyer David Touger, who had represented Gupta under the Criminal Justice Act since his extradition to the United States, initially sought to remain as co-counsel but subsequently withdrew that request and asked to be relieved. The court approved Touger’s exit on 14 April, leaving Kirshner on record as defence counsel.
Earlier, Gupta had engaged a private, high-profile US legal team for the sentencing phase, marking a shift away from courtappointed representation. The latest court filings confirm that transition is now operational, coinciding with the request for additional preparation time.
Gupta was arrested in June 2023 in Prague at the request of US authorities in connection with the plot targeting Pannun.
He was extradited to the United States in June 2024 following proceedings in Czech courts and has since been tried in the Southern District of New York.
In a development that surprised some observers but was anticipated in certain quarters, Gupta pleaded guilty on 13 February 2026 after maintaining for an extended period that he had been wrongly implicated in the case.
If sentencing proceeds on 25 September 2026, it would come roughly three years and three months after Gupta’s arrest in Prague, marking a prolonged pre-sentencing period spanning arrest, extradition and trial phases.
The sentencing timeline has now been revised multiple times. Earlier schedules had placed the hearing in May 2026, later moved to 26 June, before the latest adjournment to September.
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