PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech Constitutional Court rejected on Wednesday a petition by an Indian man trying to avoid extradition to the United States, which suspects him of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil.
A final decision on whether to extradite Nikhil Gupta will be made by Justice Minister Pavel Blazek.
The court said it ruled that lower courts had given due consideration to aspects that may prevent extradition, rejecting the complaint brought by Gupta. It also rejected arguments that the case was political.
“The Constitutional Court did not find any circumstance for which declaring extradition admissible would lead to a violation of any of the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights and freedoms,” the court said in a statement.
“For the complainant, this brings the proceedings before the Czech courts to an end.”
A spokesman for the Justice Ministry said Blazek would evaluate the decision before making a ruling on the extradition itself.
Gupta has been accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of working with an Indian government official on a plot to kill a New York City resident who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.
Gupta was arrested by Czech authorities in June last year when he travelled from India to Prague.
The Czech Republic has in the past agreed to U.S. extradition requests.
(Reporting by Jan Lopatka)
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