IN DEPTH: AIR INDIA
Timeline: The trial
CBC News Online | March 16, 2005
Inderjit Singh Reyat during court proceedings at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver (CP PHOTO)
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June 4, 2001:
The British government gives Canada permission to charge Inderjit Singh Reyat in connection with the Air India bombing. He is formally charged two days later with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy in the Air India bombing, and the explosion at Tokyo's Narita Airport.
Dec. 20, 2001:
Justice Patrick Dohm postpones Reyat’s trial from February 2002 to November 2002, to include him in the trial of Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik.
May 10, 2002:
B.C.'s Supreme Court postpones the trial from November 2002 to March 2003, giving Reyat's defence team time to replace its outgoing members and bring the new team up to speed.
January 2003:
Jury selection begins. Potential jurors are told proceedings could take anywhere from two to three years.
Feb. 10, 2003:
In a dramatic turn of events, Reyat pleads guilty to one count of manslaughter and a charge of aiding in the construction of a bomb. All other charges against him are stayed and he is sentenced to five years in prison. The guilty plea raises speculation that he would testify against the other two.
Feb. 24, 2003:
Crown and defence agree that the trial of Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik will be presided over by a judge instead of judge and jury. There are concerns that a prolonged trial could result in a mistrial if jurors drop out part way through.
April 28, 2003:
The trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri begins.
Surjan Singh Gill
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June 2, 2003:
Opposition MPs call for an inquiry into accusations that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) blocked the RCMP investigation into the bombing. According to RCMP documents, CSIS ordered the destruction of hours of wiretaps to conceal the fact that one of its agents, Surjan Singh Gill, had penetrated a circle of Sikh extremists planning the attack. He was ordered to pull out three days before Air India Flight 182 blew up.
Sept. 31, 2003:
The Crown's long-awaited star witness begins testifying at the Air India trial. She is a former employee and close personal friend of accused bomber Ripudaman Singh Malik. "I could never hate him," she testifies, "never ... I still love him, I still respect him ... I promised him, no matter what, I will always love you ... I'll always be there to help you."
Nov. 4, 2003:
The Crown's key witness testifies that Malik confessed to the bombing of the Air India flight. The woman described how she and Malik fell in love in the early 1990s. He wrote her love notes, told her how unhappy he was with his wife and confided his secrets to her. Those secrets are the core of the Crown's case.
Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri listen to opening arguments at the Air India trial (CP PHOTO)
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Nov. 5, 2003:
The key witness testifies she first contacted CSIS in 1997 after Malik and his friends began accusing her of being a spy. She told the court about past death threats and how she still fears for her life.
Nov. 12, 2003:
The RCMP say they can no longer properly protect the Crown’s key witness because of media coverage of the trial. The woman is in the witness protection program and can't be identified by court order. But artists’ sketches have been used that depict the woman's appearance and a newspaper published the woman's first name.
Dec. 9, 2003:
The head of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism branch, Keith Weston, testifies that Bagri tried to unite the Canadian and British branches of the Sikh extremist group Babbar Khalsa. The Canadian branch has been linked to the bombings.
March 1, 2004:
An FBI informer testifies that Bagri admitted his involvement in the bombings a few weeks after they occurred, saying, "We did this."
April 15, 2004:
In her third appearance at the trial, a key Crown witness, who cannot be identified, says she couldn't remember a visit with Ajaib Singh Bagri caught on CSIS surveillance tapes. In one hour of testimony, the witness answers "I can't remember" more than 20 times.
The high-security courtroom built especially to house the trial of Air India bombing suspects is seen in this July 10, 2002, handout photo in Vancouver, B.C. (CP Photo/Kim Stallknecht)
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May 18, 2004:
The Crown rests its case, after 13 months and 80 witnesses.
June 2, 2004:
The first major defence witness, Raminder (Mindy) Bhandher, confesses to credit card fraud, drug trafficking and perjury. Bhandher also contradicts earlier testimony that he was at a meeting with one of the accused in April 1997. Bhandher says he was in India at the time, marrying a woman to help her gain Canadian citizenship.
June 22, 2004:
Lawyers for Ripudaman Singh Malik wrap up their case.
June 30, 2004:
Defence witness Gurmit Singh Aulakh, the head of a Washington, D.C.-based Sikh separatist organization, testifies that the Indian government could have infiltrated Sikh groups and orchestrated the Air India bombing.
Aug. 11, 2004:
While under cross-examination by the Crown prosecutor, defence witness Kamal Jit repeatedly says he cannot understand the questions and denies ever talking to anyone, including defence lawyers, about his testimony. Lawyer Richard Cairns asks Jit, "Sir, are you an idiot?" The courtroom bursts into laughter and the judge calls a recess. Cairns later apologizes.
Aug. 12, 2004:
Defence witness Kamal Jit, a New York taxi driver, admits that he has been answering questions he doesn't understand because they are asked in English. He also admits he sometimes doesn't understand the answers he gives.
Oct. 19, 2004:
The Air India trial enters its final phase: closing arguments. Lawyers for Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik tell the court their clients had nothing to do with the bombs on Flight 182 and at Tokyo's Narita Airport.
Nov. 2, 2004:
Prosecutor Gordon Matei begins the Crown's three-week-long closing arguments by saying that convicted bomb-maker Inderjit Singh Reyat played a bigger role than he admitted.
Dec. 3, 2004:
After 19 months, the Air India trial wraps up.
March 16, 2005:
Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri are acquitted of all charges.
See: Timeline after the trial
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