Air India bomb builder to be released from prison
Updated Wed. Jul. 9 2008 3:33 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
After spending 20 years behind bars for his role in the Air India bombings, Inderjit Singh Reyat could be a free man as early as today, after the B.C. Court of Appeal granted him bail on perjury charges.
Reyat was serving two separate convictions related to the incident that killed 331 people off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985 and in another explosion at Japan's Narita airport.
He was the only person ever convicted in the bombings, the worst mass murder in Canadian history. He served his entire sentence for the two convictions and was kept in jail on perjury charges for his testimony at the trial of another two men accused in taking part in the bombings.
His wife, Satnam, told The Canadian Press she was not sure when Reyat would be released but it would probably be Wednesday, once the paperwork was completed.
Earlier this year, the B.C. Supreme Court denied Reyat bail on accusations that he lied in his testimony at the trial that ended in the acquittals of Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik.
Justice Ian Josephson called Reyat "an unmitigated liar under oath" in his acquittal ruling.
The B.C. Supreme Court denied bail to Reyat, saying that his detention was necessary to maintain confidence in the justice system.
In June, Reyat's lawyer asked the Appeal Court to overturn the ruling.
"He's been in jail a long time," his lawyer, Ian Donaldson, said outside the court after the decision Wednesday.
"He doesn't know yet, but I'm sure that he'll be pleased when he hears."
It is not yet known what conditions Reyat will have to meet while on bail.
The Air India bombing is believed to have been plotted by militant extremists in B.C. who were allegedly retaliating against the government-owned airline for a raid on the Golden Temple, formally known as the Harmandir Sahib, which is Sikhism's holiest shrine.
Air India flight 182, originating from Toronto with a Montreal stopover exploded off the coast of Ireland, killing 329 passengers and crew. Two baggage handlers died at Narita airport when luggage was being transferred on to another Air India flight.
The luggage carrying the explosives was checked in at Vancouver's airport.
Reyat's perjury trial is scheduled for January.
Updated Wed. Jul. 9 2008 3:33 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
After spending 20 years behind bars for his role in the Air India bombings, Inderjit Singh Reyat could be a free man as early as today, after the B.C. Court of Appeal granted him bail on perjury charges.
Reyat was serving two separate convictions related to the incident that killed 331 people off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985 and in another explosion at Japan's Narita airport.
He was the only person ever convicted in the bombings, the worst mass murder in Canadian history. He served his entire sentence for the two convictions and was kept in jail on perjury charges for his testimony at the trial of another two men accused in taking part in the bombings.
His wife, Satnam, told The Canadian Press she was not sure when Reyat would be released but it would probably be Wednesday, once the paperwork was completed.
Earlier this year, the B.C. Supreme Court denied Reyat bail on accusations that he lied in his testimony at the trial that ended in the acquittals of Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik.
Justice Ian Josephson called Reyat "an unmitigated liar under oath" in his acquittal ruling.
The B.C. Supreme Court denied bail to Reyat, saying that his detention was necessary to maintain confidence in the justice system.
In June, Reyat's lawyer asked the Appeal Court to overturn the ruling.
"He's been in jail a long time," his lawyer, Ian Donaldson, said outside the court after the decision Wednesday.
"He doesn't know yet, but I'm sure that he'll be pleased when he hears."
It is not yet known what conditions Reyat will have to meet while on bail.
The Air India bombing is believed to have been plotted by militant extremists in B.C. who were allegedly retaliating against the government-owned airline for a raid on the Golden Temple, formally known as the Harmandir Sahib, which is Sikhism's holiest shrine.
Air India flight 182, originating from Toronto with a Montreal stopover exploded off the coast of Ireland, killing 329 passengers and crew. Two baggage handlers died at Narita airport when luggage was being transferred on to another Air India flight.
The luggage carrying the explosives was checked in at Vancouver's airport.
Reyat's perjury trial is scheduled for January.
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