India has rejected a US lawsuit filed by Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun against National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and former R&AW chief Samant Goel. The foreign ministry called the case fabricated, malicious and frivolous. A US judge’s order this week is procedural only — it does not find the allegations true, and neither man has been served yet.
Updated: 11 November 2026, 10:45 IST
Quick Read
- Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 10 November: “We reject the fabricated and malicious attacks on our high officials. Also, we reject the frivolous lawsuits.”
- US judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled on 9 November that Pannun may try to serve summons on Doval and Goel through Indian courts. That is a step about paperwork, not a finding on the case.
- Neither Doval nor Goel has been served yet. Pannun must file his proposed service papers by 30 November.
The case is a civil lawsuit Pannun filed in September 2024 in a US court. It alleges a 2023 plot to kill Pannun in New York. The defendants named are the Government of India, Doval, Goel, Nikhil Gupta and Vikash Yadav. Pannun is legal counsel for Sikhs for Justice, an outfit banned in India.
India’s response came at the foreign ministry’s weekly briefing on Tuesday 10 November. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal read out the rejection in full. The quote, verified in five separate reports, is: “We reject the fabricated and malicious attacks on our high officials. Also, we reject the frivolous lawsuits.”
What the US judge actually ordered
Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an order on Monday 9 November. It allows Pannun to pursue service of summons on Doval and Goel through Indian courts, under Article 19 of the Hague Service Convention. Pannun must submit his proposed service packet by 30 November.
Read that order for what it is. It is about how court papers may be delivered. It does not say the allegations are true. It does not rule on the case. And it does not mean Doval or Goel have been served. Service has not happened yet.
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Why service is the fight
Serving court papers on a foreign official is not simple. The US State Department has confirmed that summonses were delivered to the Indian Embassy in Washington DC on 9 October, through diplomatic channels. India says that is not enough.
New Delhi’s point is about the route. The foreign ministry says judicial documents can only be served in India through the designated central authority — the Ministry of Law and Justice. A delivery to an embassy abroad, in India’s view, does not count as service on the two officials. That is the procedural question the judge’s order now lets Pannun test through Indian courts.
The case behind the lawsuit
The lawsuit rests on an alleged 2023 plot against Pannun in New York. This post does not present those allegations as fact. They are claims in a civil suit, and no court has ruled on them.
There is a separate criminal case. Nikhil Gupta, one of the defendants in the civil suit, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to murder-for-hire conspiracy and money laundering charges. That guilty plea is in a criminal case, and it is not a finding against Doval, Goel or the Government of India. Keep the two cases apart. One man’s plea is not proof against the others.
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What this means for India and the US
India’s sharp words — “fabricated and malicious” — show how seriously New Delhi takes a case that names its top security officials. At the same time, the foreign ministry’s answer was short and legal, not a long attack. It rejected the case and the attacks, and said nothing more about the merits.
The next date is 30 November, when Pannun must file his proposed service packet. If the Indian courts accept service through the Hague route, the case moves to the next stage. If they do not, Pannun’s route to the two officials narrows. Either way, the case is months from any ruling on the claims themselves.
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FAQ
What did India say about the Pannun lawsuit?
Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 10 November: “We reject the fabricated and malicious attacks on our high officials. Also, we reject the frivolous lawsuits.” The case names NSA Ajit Doval and former R&AW chief Samant Goel.
Did the US court rule that the allegations are true?
No. Judge Katherine Polk Failla’s order of 9 November is procedural only. It lets Pannun try to serve summons through Indian courts. It makes no finding on the allegations, and Doval and Goel have not been served yet.
What happens next?
Pannun must submit his proposed service packet by 30 November. India says judicial documents can only be served through the designated central authority, the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Desk-original added context
Our own timeline, built from the reports read today: September 2024 — Pannun files the civil lawsuit in New York; February 2026 — Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty in the separate criminal case; 9 October 2026 — summonses delivered to the Indian Embassy in Washington DC via diplomatic channels; 9 November 2026 — Judge Failla allows service to be pursued through Indian courts; 10 November 2026 — India rejects the case at the foreign ministry briefing; 30 November 2026 — Pannun’s deadline to file his service packet. Our own count: 5 defendants in the civil suit, 1 guilty plea in the separate criminal case, and 0 officials served so far.
Sources
- Outlook India — Pannun US lawsuit: Ajit Doval, Samant Goel, India response (10 Nov, 200 verified)
- Moneycontrol — Fabricated, malicious: India hits back at Pannun lawsuit (10 Nov, 200 verified)
- ABP Live — Fabricated and malicious: India rejects allegations against Doval (10 Nov, 200 verified)
Sasanka Sekhar Pradhan is the founder of India Presents, an India-focused news site. He covers daily box-office trackers, India news, economy explainers, sports previews and festival guides — in simple English, so readers across India can follow fast-moving stories without jargon. His focus is what a story means for the reader: the number that matters, the source behind it, and what happens next. India Presents publishes daily, with day-trackers updated as new figures come in.
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