Monday, December 22, 2025
ADVT 
National

Inderjit Singh Reyat, Only Person Convicted In Air India Bombing, Released From Halfway House

The Canadian Press, 15 Feb, 2017 11:45 AM
    VANCOUVER — A man convicted of perjury for his testimony during the trial of two men accused in the 1985 Air India bombing has been allowed to leave a halfway house and live wherever he likes.
     
    A Parole Board of Canada decision posted online by the CBC shows the condition that required Inderjit Singh Reyat to live at the halfway house following his release from prison last year has been removed.
     
    Reyat was accused of perjury in 2006 for repeatedly lying during his testimony at a trial into the bombing deaths of more than 300 people.
     
    In 2010, he was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison.
     
    Reyat pleaded guilty in February 2003 to manslaughter for supplying bomb parts housed in a suitcase that exploded aboard Air India Flight 182, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after leaving Montreal for London with 329 people aboard.
     
    The plea agreement made him the only person ever convicted in the attack.
     
    The parole board could not be reached for comment on the decision posted by CBC.
     
    The latest parole board decision says Reyat's case management team has reported that he has been following all of the conditions of his release, and there is no evidence that he is communicating with people who may hold extremist views.
     
     
    The decision, which is dated Jan. 26, says Reyat is attending ongoing counselling to address "cognitive distortions" and violent behaviour, and is at a low risk to reoffend, unless there was a threat to his "Sikh cause."
     
    "Your (case management team) has indicated that a number of measures will be put in place in order to adequately monitor your risk, should the residency condition be removed," the decision posted by CBC says.
     
    There are still a number of conditions imposed on Reyat, including that he not participate in any political activities, access extremist propaganda or possess anything that could be used to build an explosive device.
     
    He is also prohibited from contacting the victim's families and he must continue counselling.
     
    Reyat became eligible for statutory release in January 2016 after serving two-thirds of his nine-year sentence for lying at the trial of two other men charged in Canada's worst mass murder 30 years ago.
     
    Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajiab Singh Bagri were both acquitted of mass murder and conspiracy in March 2005.
     
    As part of his plea agreement in the middle the bombing trial, Reyat received a controversial five-year sentence in exchange for testifying against Bagri and Malik.
     
     
    Reyat had already served a decade behind bars for another bombing on the same day when a suitcase meant for a second Air India plane exploded at Tokyo's Narita Airport, killing two baggage handlers.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Canadian Miss World Contestant Challenges China On Organ-Harvesting

    Canadian Miss World Contestant Challenges China On Organ-Harvesting
    WASHINGTON — Miss Canada will be vying for more than the winner's tiara when she competes in the annual Miss World pageant in Washington this weekend. Anastasia Lin wants to tell a global TV audience about the evil of organ-harvesting.

    Canadian Miss World Contestant Challenges China On Organ-Harvesting

    Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan Laments Slow Pace Of Improvements In Supporting Soldiers

    Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan Laments Slow Pace Of Improvements In Supporting Soldiers
    Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says his biggest regret over the last year is the slow pace of improvement when it comes to supporting Canadian troops dealing with mental-health injuries and other issues.

    Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan Laments Slow Pace Of Improvements In Supporting Soldiers

    Nova Scotia Appeal Court Denies Wealthy Couple Oceanfront Swimming Pool

    Nova Scotia Appeal Court Denies Wealthy Couple Oceanfront Swimming Pool
    John and Esther Ghosn built a mansion on the Northwest Arm, a picturesque inlet off Halifax harbour, and wanted a pool overlooking the water.

    Nova Scotia Appeal Court Denies Wealthy Couple Oceanfront Swimming Pool

    CREA Raises Forecast For 2016 Home Sales, Expects Fewer Sales In 2017

    CREA Raises Forecast For 2016 Home Sales, Expects Fewer Sales In 2017
    OTTAWA — The Canadian Real Estate Association is forecasting national home sales this year will be slightly higher than its previous estimates, with increased expectations for Ontario offsetting a decline for British Columbia.

    CREA Raises Forecast For 2016 Home Sales, Expects Fewer Sales In 2017

    Federal Government Moves To Ban Asbestos By 2018

    OTTAWA — After years in which thousands of Canadians were diagnosed annually with deadly, asbestos-related cancers, the federal government is finally moving to ban all products containing asbestos by 2018.

    Federal Government Moves To Ban Asbestos By 2018

    A Trump Bump? American Refugee Claims In Canada Increased Last Month

    A Trump Bump? American Refugee Claims In Canada Increased Last Month
    WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking refugee status in Canada has experienced a significant bump this year, increasing more than five times in November 2016 from the same period a year earlier.

    A Trump Bump? American Refugee Claims In Canada Increased Last Month