Friday, December 19, 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

    'Sisters Of The North' Join Massive Women's March On Washington

    'Sisters Of The North' Join Massive Women's March On Washington
    Many simply yelled "thank you Canada" as they spotted the women, and at least one shouted "take us with you!"

    'Sisters Of The North' Join Massive Women's March On Washington

    Burnaby Man in Alleged Sexual Assault of Bus Operator Remanded in Custody

    Burnaby Man in Alleged Sexual Assault of Bus Operator Remanded in Custody
    A 40 year old Burnaby man has been remanded in custody following his arrest for allegedly sexually assaulting a Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) operator in a moving bus.

    Burnaby Man in Alleged Sexual Assault of Bus Operator Remanded in Custody

    Huge Fire On Mitchell Island In Richmond

    Huge Fire On Mitchell Island In Richmond
    Police and fire crews are on the scene, but it is unclear what caused the fire and what exactly is burning.

    Huge Fire On Mitchell Island In Richmond

    77 Students Ill, With Symptoms Of Vomiting, Abdominal Pain At Toronto College

    77 Students Ill, With Symptoms Of Vomiting, Abdominal Pain At Toronto College
    At least 77 students at Humber College were affected, most of whom live at a residence at the institution's North Campus, said spokesman Andrew Leopold.

    77 Students Ill, With Symptoms Of Vomiting, Abdominal Pain At Toronto College

    Trump's 'America First' Tone Worries Head Of Canadian Oil And Gas Industry Group

    Trump's 'America First' Tone Worries Head Of Canadian Oil And Gas Industry Group
    CALGARY — The president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says the protectionist sentiments expressed in U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration speech are a "wakeup call" for Canada.

    Trump's 'America First' Tone Worries Head Of Canadian Oil And Gas Industry Group

    Montrealers March And Burn U.S Flag In Protest Of Trump's Inauguration

    Montrealers March And Burn U.S Flag In Protest Of Trump's Inauguration
    About 200 people waved signs and shouted anti-Trump slogans as they marched downtown.

    Montrealers March And Burn U.S Flag In Protest Of Trump's Inauguration