As the trial related to the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar is expected to begin later this year, the Canadian government has sought to block some details from being revealed as that could prove “injurious to international relations and national security”.
An application in this regard has been made by the Attorney General of Canada, according to a report in the outlet Global News. The plea to keep some information confidential is that it is “sensitive”, the report said citing court documents.
Four Indian nationals have been accused of allegedly being involved in the murder of Nijjar on June 18, 2023. That crime led to relations between India and Canada cratering after then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder. India had described those accusations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
The cases against the quarter remain in the pretrial stage. The trial itself is not expected to begin before August, according to a British Columbia Prosecution Service spokesperson.
The spokesperson confirmed to the Hindustan Times last week that the hearings involving four Indian nationals remains in the pre-trial phase and “will be for some time”.
“Trial dates have not yet been set. All four accused remain in custody under detention orders,” Damienne Darby, Communications Counsel for the BC Prosecution Service, noted.
As an Indian national Nikhil Gupta pled guilty to three charges linked to the abortive attempt on the life of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun earlier this month, a statement from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York linked the case to that of Nijjar.
At the time of the murder, Nijjar was the Canadian coordinator for SFJ’s so-called Khalistan Referendum.
“On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, Gupta told the UC that Nijjar ‘was also the target’ and ‘we have so many targets’. Gupta also added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was ‘now no need to wait’ on killing the Victim,” the statement noted.
It was referring to the undercover agent Gupta sought to hire for the hit on Pannun.
The four accused in the Nijjar case, Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Amandeep Singh, are under mandatory detention orders and are in holding facilities and they will remain there till the trial commences.
That trial is not expected to commence before August, due to the complex pre-trial situation. Pre-trial applications are expected to continue till August, before dates for the actual trial are set, a prosecution spokesperson said last year.
A publication ban remains in place with regard to submissions or any materials presented during all case management, pre-trial conferences and applications.
Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh were arrested from in and around Edmonton in May 2024. Amandeep Singh was charged days later while he was in custody of the Peel Regional Police (PRP). He was arrested in March 2024 on nine charges including those related to unauthorised possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.
Amandeep Singh made his first court appearance on May 15, 2024 while the others appeared before a judge on May 7 the same year. May 21, 2024 was the first time all four appeared together in a court. All four are facing charges related to first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder
India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Dinesh Patnaik told the Hindustan Times last week that if there is evidence that emerges that elements within the Indian establishment were involved in the murder, New Delhi will work with Canada to take action. No such evidence has been made public so far.
Patnaik said, “We have nothing to worry about on this account. We want to work with the Canadians to bring the perpetrators to justice. And if we find there are elements within our own establishment who have been involved in it and there is evidence to prove the link, then we will take action,” he added.
While cautioning that the criminal case involving four Indian nationals accused in Nijjar’s murder is in progress and the outcome awaited, Patnaik said, “If there is any evidence that the Americans want to provide to the Canadians, fine. If the Canadians have evidence, fine. Like I have always maintained, if we find there are elements within the Indian establishment who have done something wrong, we will ourselves take action. And we will work with the Canadians to take action on that.”
Canadian authorities focused their investigation on India after British intelligence shared information in that regard with Ottawa.
