The Hindu : Five-year jail for accused in Kanishka bombing case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2003

Front Page

Front Page

Five-year jail for accused in Kanishka bombing case

VANCOUVER FEB. 11. A Sikh activist, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight, Kanishka, was sentenced to five years in prison in a plea agreement between the Crown and defence lawyers.

Until the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, the bombing was the world's deadliest act of aviation sabotage.

The activist, Inderjit Singh Reyat's actions had consequences that were tragic and almost beyond discription, Chief Justice Donald Brenner observed.

"It's imperative that on a day like today we not forget those who are not with us," he said. "Those 329 people are very much on our minds".

Air India Flight 182 went down off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 passengers — 278 of them Canadians — and crew on board.

The Sikh activist, who grew up in Coventry after his family emigrated from India, had been due to stand trial, along with Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, in Vancouver for the bombing before yesterday's surprise plea.

Originally charged with 329 counts of first-degree murder, he pleaded guilty to the same amount of charges of manslaughter. Reyat, who has already served 10 years in a British prison for his role in a blast at Tokyo's Narita Airport that occurred an hour before Air India Flight 182 went down, entered the guilty plea when he appeared in a Vancouver court. Prosecutors lowered the charge against him to manslaughter in return for his plea and left open the possibility he might be called to testify as a witnesses.

`Tax fraud may have helped finance accused'

Opposition lawmakers have claimed that a major sales tax fraud may have helped finance the terrorists who blew up the Kanishka aircraft, an AFP report from Ottawa said. Some $16.25 million was billed from the federal government with fraudulent claims for a goods and services tax (GST), Canada's equivalent to Europe's value added tax, according to a CBC Television report.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

Shane Warne fails dope test, out of World Cup

Australia beats Pak.

`Chicago' tops nominations

NATO fails to agree on Iraq

3 Indians among 14 killed in Haj stampede

AI, IA plan to evacuate Indians

Five-year jail for accused in Kanishka bombing case

Two killed in police firing

Remand extended

Suspect flees

Harare match called off