Canada to expedite trial of four Indian citizens in Nijjar murder case

The Canadian government has reportedly filed a “direct charge” against four Indian nationals in the murder of Khalistan separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Indian Express with reference to a representative of the British Columbia prosecutor’s office.

A direct charge would allow the four Indians’ case to go directly to the Supreme Court of Canada, bypassing a preliminary hearing in a lower court where lawyers typically question prosecution witnesses and gather evidence.

The four Indians are Karan Brar, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh. They were originally scheduled for a hearing in Surrey provincial court on November 21. The appearance has been waived and the case will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada on February 11, 2025. Indian Express reported.

A spokesperson for the British Columbia Attorney General’s Office explained the reason for direct prosecution to the newspaper, saying: “This special measure, rarely used, ensures that people who should be tried are brought to trial, especially in cases where the safety of witnesses or the public is at stake.”

Four men were arrested in May 2024 for the murder of Nijjar on June 18, 2023. They are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Since their arrest, the trial has been repeatedly delayed and the case adjourned several times.

At the Supreme Court’s first hearing on November 18, three of the four Indians participated via video conference and one spoke through his lawyer. A temporary ban was placed on the publication of pre-trial and trial conferences.

The four men allegedly acted as gunners, drivers and spotters during Nijjar’s killing, prosecutors said. They are being held without bail and no additional suspects have been charged in the case.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly alleged a link between the Indian government and Nijjar’s murder, but India denies this, arguing that Canada has not provided credible evidence to support the allegations.

Prosecutors said a list of witnesses will be presented closer to the start of the trial. Witnesses located in Canada can usually be compelled to testify, but witnesses located outside the country cannot.

Ann Seymour, Acting Public Relations Advisor for the British Columbia Prosecutor’s Office, spoke about this. Indian Express: “The conspiracy to commit murder is alleged to have occurred between May and June 2023 in Edmonton, Alberta and Surrey, British Columbia. The murder allegedly occurred on June 18, 2023.”

Additional evidence of the conspiracy charges will be presented during the trial.

Ottawa on Thursday denied a Canadian news report that quoted an unnamed Canadian national security official as saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew about the alleged plot to kill Nijjar.

A day earlier, New Delhi denied the report and said it was part of a “smear campaign.”

On October 16, Trudeau said he had intelligence but no “hard evidence” when he first went public with allegations that Indian government agents may have been involved in Nijjar’s September 2023 killing. Diplomatic relations between India and Canada were disrupted. tense, with diplomatic expulsions from both countries.

In October, Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison said that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was behind a series of plots to kill or intimidate Khalistani separatists in Canada.

India’s Foreign Ministry called Morrison’s allegations “absurd and baseless.”

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