Canada Pushes for Direct Indictment of Four Indians in Nijjar Killing, Stays Preliminary Hearing

The Canadian government has decided to proceed with a direct indictment against four Indian nationals accused of murdering Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. This decision comes after pre-trial proceedings in the Surrey Provincial Court were stayed, meaning the case will now proceed directly to the Supreme Court, according to media reports.

The four accused named Karan Brar, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh, were initially scheduled to appear in the Surrey Provincial Court on November 21, 2024. However, the hearing was cancelled, and they will now appear before the Supreme Court on February 11, 2025, for further proceedings.

A direct indictment means the case will go directly to trial, bypassing the typical preliminary hearing. Normally, this hearing allows the defense team to scrutinize the prosecution's evidence and cross-examine witnesses. But in this case, Canadian authorities have opted for this rare procedure, citing concerns for the safety of witnesses and possibly informers involved in the case, as per media reported. 

Under the Canadian Criminal Code, a direct indictment is a special power exercised only under specific circumstances, usually when public safety is at risk or when there is a compelling public interest to expedite the trial. This move underlines the gravity with which the Canadian government is treating the murder of Nijjar, who was killed on June 18, 2023, outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

The four men were arrested in May 2024, charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Since their arrest, the case has been adjourned five times, with little substantive progress made.

The first appearance in the Supreme Court took place on November 18, 2024. All the accused appeared via video link, except for Amandeep Singh, who was represented by his counsel. During this session, the court, at the request of the Crown, imposed an interim publication ban on any pre-trial and case management discussions. This means that details of these proceedings will not be disclosed to the public for now, according to the report.

The Trudeau government has accused the Indian government of being directly involved in the murder of Khalistani separatist Nijjar. The Indian government has denied these allegations, calling them ‘absurd’.