4 Indians held in Nijjar case appear in Canadian court

Ottawa, May 22

Four Indian nationals accused of killing Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year in Surrey were ordered by a Canadian court to have no contact with several people in the community, as they made their first joint appearance before it in the case that has severely strained ties between India and Canada.

Three of the four suspects — Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22) and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh — appeared in person for the first time in the BC Provincial Court in Surrey. The fourth suspect — Amandeep Singh (22) — appeared by video link.

Amandeep remains in custody in Ontario where he was facing unrelated weapons offences before being arrested on May 10 for Nijjar’s killing. Judge Mark Jette spoke to the men through an interpreter as he placed them under a no-contact order, before adjourning until the suspects’ next appearance on June 25, CBC News reported.

Prosecutor Marcel Daigle said the time until the next hearing would allow the Crown to fulfil its evidentiary disclosure obligations to the suspects’ lawyers. Nijjar (45) was killed outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.