A US Federal Judge has granted New York-based rights group ‘Sikhs for Justice’ the right to serve a notice on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh through the Hague Service Convention.
“Plaintiffs shall by April 14, 2014, either file proof of service or file a status report updating the Court on their progress in effecting service,” presiding judge James E Boasberg said in the February 28 order.
According to SFJ legal adviser Gurpatwant S Pannu, the group had filed a motion with the court requesting extension of time to serve a notice on Manmohan in India.
In support of its motion, the SFJ submitted a copy of the engagement letter retaining Process Forwarding International (PFI), a Washington-based firm, to serve the summons on Manmohan in India as per the Hague Service Convention.
The human rights violation law suit against the Prime Minister has been filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) of 2013.
Under the Alien Tort Claims Act and TVPA, the US Federal Courts have jurisdiction over cases of human rights violations even if they have occurred on foreign soil.