Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial

The Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial commenced in the District Court in San Francisco on November 12, 1917, following the uncovering of the Hindu–German Conspiracy (also known as the Indo German plot) for initiating a revolt in India. It was part of a wave of such incidents which took place in the United States after America's entrance into World War I. The trials came after pressure from the United Kingdom to suppress the Indian independence movement abroad.

In May 1917, a group of Indian nationalists of the Ghadar Party were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to form a military enterprise against the United Kingdom from the United States, and violating U.S. neutrality laws. The trial lasted from November 20, 1917, to April 24, 1918, and resulted in the convictions of 29 people, including 14 Indian nationalists. The British authorities hoped the conviction of the Indians would result in their deportation back to India.

Had the nationalists been deported to India, they would've faced much harsher sentences, including execution. The Lahore Conspiracy Case trial in British India, which sparked the trials in the United States, resulted in the convictions of 291 Indian nationalists, of which 42 were executed and 114 received life terms. In contrast, the Indian nationalists convicted in the San Francisco trial received prison terms ranged from 30 days to 22 months.

Ultimately, strong public sympathy in favor of the Indians resulted in the U.S. Department of Justice choosing not to deport them.