New Delhi: In a setback for the Canadian government, all four Indian nationals accused of killing Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar have been granted bail by a Canadian court.
Karan Brar, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh – arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in May 2024 from different parts of Canada — were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Nijjar was assassinated in June 2023 in Surrey, British Columbia.
The trial has been moved to the British Columbia Supreme Court, and the next hearing will be on February 11.
India Today examined court documents which revealed that the four men were released under “stay of proceedings” while awaiting trial.
The status of all four was marked as ‘N’, which indicate they are “not” in custody. They are not currently under detention and out on bail or released under specific conditions as they awaiting further court proceedings, India Today reported.
Nijjar’s murder became the turning point in Indo-Canadian bilateral relations after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – who announced his resignation earlier this week — accused the Indian government of being involved in the killing of the separatist leader.
India vehemently denied the “baseless” allegations.
A year after pointing the finger at India, Trudeau admitted that his claims were based on inter report and not hard evidence while testifying before Canada’s foreign interference inquiry.
His hardline stance against India is seen as one of the factors behind Trudeau coming under pressure from his Liberal Party of Canada and losing popularity.
Though the four Indians were arrested last May, delays and lack of substantial evidence in the case undermined Canada’s position substantially.
Now, Canadian government has invoked a “direct indictment” through which a preliminary inquiry may be bypassed and case will be expedited to trial stage, India Today reported. Hence the Nijjar case has been transferred from Surrey Provincial Court to the British Columbia Supreme Court.
