New Delhi: India on Tuesday rejected what it described as fabricated and malicious attacks on high officials in the Gurpatwant Singh Pannun case. It also refused the lawsuit’s request for service of judicial documents, saying such requests can only be routed through the Union ministry of law and justice. The external affairs ministry spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal, made the remarks at a media briefing in New Delhi.
Jaiswal did not name the officials or the court involved. His remarks come a day after a federal court in New York reportedly allowed Pannun, a US-based Khalistani separatist, to serve the national security advisor, Ajit Doval, and the former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief, Samant Goel, through courts in Delhi by November 30.
The Indian government had dismissed the complaint as unwarranted and unsubstantiated when Pannun filed it in September 2024. The US state department has since told the court it delivered the summons to the Indian embassy in Washington through diplomatic channels, while taking no position on whether service was properly effected.
Separately, Jaiswal dismissed the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as a biased, ill-informed organization with a blatantly political agenda. Its commissioner had remained silent on attacks on religious places and hate crimes targeting Indian communities in the US, he said, adding that such an organization can hardly be taken seriously.
The remarks add to a string of Indian rebuttals of the US federal body. India rejected its 2026 annual report as a motivated and biased characterization of the country, and the ministry dismissed the commission again in August after it urged Washington to consider sanctions against members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Jaiswal said the prime minister, Narendra Modi, spoke with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Monday evening. The external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, then spoke with his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, following that call. Jaiswal gave no details of the Modi-Zelenskyy conversation.
India has shared its views with both Russia and Ukraine, Jaiswal said, adding that the prolonged war must come to an end. New Delhi has focused on three key issues – security of shipping in the Black Sea, energy exports and food security.
On questions regarding the rejection of Sheikh Hasina’s new passport, Jaiswal said the Bangladesh authorities would be better placed to answer. Her lawyers wrote on November 9 to Bangladesh’s acting high commissioner in New Delhi seeking a fresh passport and national identity card for her proposed return in December. Dhaka has rejected the request, insisting she be brought back through extradition.
Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, and was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal in November 2025.
Jaiswal also reacted to reports in Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo newspaper that Chinese nationals had allegedly filmed underdeveloped areas of Dhaka and presented them as New Delhi. He said the ministry had seen media reports of efforts to present a distorted image of a country, calling such attempts unfortunate and presenting Dhaka as Delhi a matter of concern.
Peddling false narratives only undermines the credibility of those undertaking such actions, he said, and the authorities concerned must take appropriate action. He did not specify which authorities he meant.
On the Nepal prime minister’s visit to India, Jaiswal said discussions are continuing. The entire range of bilateral relations will be discussed along with matters of mutual interest, he said, adding that the two countries share a very special partnership.
Jaiswal said the Indian high commission in London has made several visits to check on the well-being of Captain Ajay Pant, who is in UK custody, and that the ministry is in touch with his lawyer and family. India has also facilitated a visit by a family member, and Pant’s wife last visited him on Monday, he said.
The ministry is in touch with the UK high commission and the foreign office, Jaiswal added. Pant, a merchant navy officer from Uttarakhand, was the master of the Russian shadow-fleet tanker MV Smyrtos and was detained in the UK over an alleged breach of British sanctions on Russian oil. A London court has denied him bail.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Jaiswal said India continues to call for safe navigation and is in touch with all concerned parties to avoid attacks on seafarers. He did not refer to any specific incident or name any party.
India’s consultations with Lebanon have been elevated to the foreign office level, Jaiswal said, with discussions now taking place at that level. The consultations cover various issues and will help deepen bilateral relations, he said.
On Israel, Jaiswal said India shares good relations with the country and will engage with the new government being formed there to take the relationship forward.