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The Canadian government faced a major setback on Thursday after a court in Canada granted bail to all the four Indian citizens who were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The accused were Karan Brar, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh.
The trial has now been moved to the British Columbia Supreme Court, India Today reported, adding that the next hearing scheduled for February 11.
According to the India Today report, there were delays in presenting evidence by the prosecution during preliminary hearings. The report cited critics as saying that the delays and lack of substantial evidence in the case have undermined Canada's position on the matter.
Court documents examined by India Today revealed that all the four accused were released under "stay of proceedings" while awaiting trial. They appeared before the Supreme Court during a hearing on November 18, 2024.
The report added that the status of the four defendants in the court records was marked as 'N'. This reportedly indicated that they are "not" in custody. This meant the individuals were not detained and may be released on bail or released under specific conditions while awaiting further court proceedings.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, in June 2023.
Who were the accused? In May last year, the Canadian Police arrested and charged three individuals in connection with the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The three individuals were identified as Karanpreet Singh (28), Kamalpreet Singh (22), and Karan Brar (22). A few days later, the Canadian Police arrested a fourth suspect who was identified as Amandeep Singh (22).
The controversy around his death led to strained diplomatic ties between India and Canada. The tension between India and Canada escalated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in Parliament that he has "credible allegations" of India's hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India denied all the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "politically motivated" and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country.
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