Canada moves to withhold evidence in Nijjar murder case, cites national security concern
CHANDIGARH: The government of Canada has sought court approval to keep some sensitive national security evidence secret in the case related to the murder of , saying disclosure could be “injurious to international relations and national security.” The trial in the case is expected to begin later this year.
According to a report by Global News, the Attorney General of Canada filed an application under Section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act in the Federal Court on December 24 last year, requesting permission to suppress certain evidence. A spokesperson for the British Columbia Prosecution Service said the trial is not expected to begin before August.Four Indian nationals — Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh, and Amandeep Singh have been accused of involvement in Nijjar’s killing and were arrested.
It is not unusual for federal lawyers in Canada to ask courts to allow them to withhold national security information during trials, especially when the information was shared by a foreign agency on the condition that it cannot be used in court. The case is currently in the pretrial phase and is subject to a publication ban.Nijjar was shot dead on June 18, 2023, outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, where he served as president of the gurdwara management.
In a related development, Indian national Nikhil Gupta recently pleaded guilty in the United States to three charges linked to an alleged plot against Sikhs for Justice general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun. The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York linked the case to Nijjar’s killing, stating: “ On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, Gupta told the UC that Nijjar ‘was also the target’ and ‘we have so many targets’ in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was ‘now no need to wait’ on Originally from Bhar Singhpura village in the Phillaur area of Jalandhar district, Nijjar moved to Canada in 1997, though it is unclear whether he had valid documents at the time. He later worked as a plumber while living abroad.
Canadian media reports say the Royal Canadian Mounted Police believes India used alleged mob figure Lawrence Bishnoi to arrange the killing.