New Delhi, Jan. 4 -- The capture of a sitting foreign head of state by United States forces represents an extraordinary escalation in American overseas action, raising profound questions about international law, constitutional authority, and the scope of presidential power. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that American troops had carried out what he described as a "large-scale strike" inside Venezuela, resulting in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, both of whom now face terrorism and narcotics-related charges in New York.

The US operation, undertaken without prior congressional authorisation, has prompted intense scrutiny from legal scholars, lawmakers, and foreign governments,...