Canadian Court Approves Bail for Four Arrested in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s Murder

Ottawa (The Uttam Hindu): A Canadian court has granted bail to four Indian nationals arrested in connection with the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Amandeep Singh were arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in May 2023, facing charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the Nijjar murder investigation.

The Surrey Provincial Court allowed the four men to be released on bail ahead of their trial, which will be held in the British Columbia Supreme Court with the next hearing scheduled for February 11. An interim publication ban, requested by the Crown and agreed to by the defense, restricts public access to updates regarding case management discussions and pre-trial motions. The Canadian government has issued a "direct indictment," transferring the case from Surrey Provincial Court to the British Columbia Supreme Court. This move bypasses the preliminary inquiry process, expediting the case to trial.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a wanted Khalistani terrorist in India was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023. In September of the same year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that there was credible evidence of the Indian government's involvement in Nijjar's murder. India has strongly rejected these claims. Trudeau's allegations led to mutual diplomatic expulsions between the two countries, further straining bilateral relations. However, despite making serious accusations against the Indian government, Canada has not provided any evidence to New Delhi related to the case. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that India is open to investigating the matter if Canada provides any relevant evidence or information related to the violence.