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

Canadian government launches “direct indictment” against him Four Indian citizens in the murder case of Khalistan separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjarreported Indian Express Quoting an official with the British Columbia Prosecution Service.

A direct indictment would allow the four Native Americans’ cases to be heard directly in the Supreme Court of Canada, bypassing a preliminary hearing in the lower court where defense lawyers typically cross-examine prosecution witnesses and gather evidence.

The four Indians are Karan Brar, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh. A hearing was originally scheduled for November 21 in Surrey Provincial Court. This hearing has been canceled and the case will be heard in the Supreme Court of Canada on February 11, 2025. Indian Express reported.

A spokesperson for the British Columbia Prosecution Service explained the reasoning behind the direct charge to the newspaper: “This special measure, rarely used, ensures that people who need to be prosecuted are brought to trial, especially in cases where witness safety or the safety of the public is at stake.”

The four men were arrested in May 2024 for the murder of Nijjar on June 18, 2023. They face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Since their arrest, judicial proceedings have been repeatedly postponed and the case has been postponed several times.

At the first Supreme Court hearing on November 18, three out of four Indians attended via video conferencing, while one attended the hearing through his lawyer. A temporary broadcast ban has been imposed on pre-trial and case management conferences.

According to prosecutors, the four men allegedly acted as hitmen, drivers and lookouts during the Nijjar assassination. They remain in custody without bail and no other suspects have been charged in the case.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly claimed a connection between the Indian government and Nijjar’s murder; India rejected this allegation, arguing that Canada had not provided credible evidence to support these accusations.

Prosecutors announced that the witness list will be presented closer to the start of the trial. Witnesses in Canada can generally be compelled to testify, but witnesses outside the country cannot.

Ann Seymour, Acting Communications Counsel for the British Columbia Prosecution Service, said: Indian Express: “The conspiracy to commit murder is alleged to have occurred between May and June 2023 in Edmonton, Alberta and Surrey, BC. “It is alleged that the murder was committed on June 18, 2023.”

Additional evidence regarding the conspiracy charges will be presented at trial.

On Thursday, Ottawa rejected a Canadian news report that quoted an unidentified Canadian national security official as saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of 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 not “conclusive evidence” when he first made public allegations in September 2023 that Indian government agents may have been involved in Nijjar’s killing. It became tense with diplomatic expulsions from both countries.

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

India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Morrison’s claims “absurd and baseless”.