By admin 
Nearly a month after being charged by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) with ‘murder for hire’ and money laundering over an alleged plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Vikash Yadav has filed a petition in a Delhi court to request an exemption. from attending the hearing, citing a safety risk to his life.
On Saturday (November 16), the court granted Yadav exemption from attending the hearing and asked him to appear on February 3.
On December 18, 2023, less than three weeks after he was named as “CC-1” (co-conspirator) in DoJ documents in November, Yadav was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell on charges of kidnapping and extortion.
After spending four months in Tihar jail, he was released on bail in April, according to court records cited in an Indian Express report.
On October 18 this year, the FBI’s New York office added him to the wanted list.
The indictment alleged that Yadav was employed by the “Government of India Cabinet Secretariat,” under the Indian Prime Minister’s Office.
In response, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that the person is “no longer an employee of the Government of India.”
Yadav, through his lawyer RK Handoo, filed a two-page application alleging that the Delhi Police had registered a false case against him.
He further alleged that there is a security risk to his life as his photographs, home address along with photographs and details of his whereabouts are in the public domain.
To substantiate this, Yadav has attached news reports showing his photo.
He has claimed that due to the threat, he cannot participate in the hearing even through video conferencing as there is a possibility that his location could be tracked.
Yadav’s application was moved to a Delhi court on Saturday where his plea was approved but he was asked to appear for the next hearing on February 3, 2025.
“There is a security risk to his life and we have filed a request for relief from the court hearing. The court approved his plea and granted him relief,” said Yadav’s lawyer Handoo quoted as said by The Indian Express.
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