Gardaí set to testify at trial

SERVING and retired gardaí, forensic and air accident investigators from Ireland are among witnesses listed to be called to give evidence at the trial of two men accused of the 1985 Air India atrocity.

A large number of individuals, particularly gardaí, are expected to travel to Vancouver for the trial.

Ajaib Singh Bagri, a 53-year-old sawmill worker from Kelowna, British Columbia, and Ripudaman Singh Malik, a 56-year-old Vancouver millionaire, face multiple charges, including first-degree murder and conspiracy in the bombings.

Up to 1,000 witnesses are expected to be called to give evidence, including 10 key ones in protective custody in Canada. But authorities here and particularly in Canada have been reluctant to reveal details of any of the witnesses. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched legal bids to prevent details of the prosecution case being made public. Much of the evidence was eventually released after the two defendants opted to be tried before a sole judge rather than a jury.

Garda insiders confirmed last night that there will be a number of witnesses from Ireland called to give evidence, including both serving and retired gardaí. It is not known when they will be called as the trial is expected to run until well into next year.

Debris from the plane was forensically examined by gardaí shortly after it was brought from of the scene of the crash.

Legal experts said it is the most complex court case in Canadian history and follows its longest and, at $45m, most expensive police investigation. It involved 15 governments and agencies, in Canada, Ireland, India and Japan.

A third accused, Inderjit Singh Reyat, pleaded guilty in February to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison on top of the 15 years he had already spent in custody for his part in building the Narita bomb.

It is believed Sikh extremists masterminded the bombings against India’s national airline in retaliation for the Indian army’s raid a year earlier on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Sikhism’s holiest shrine.

Canadian police have been criticised over elements of the investigation, particularly in the early stages when they were accused of botching the arrests of two suspects, one of whom was later shot by Indian police. In addition, recordings of wiretaps were lost.

Sergeant Grant Learned, RCMP spokesman for the Air India file, said the case had presented the Mounties with unprecedented logistical issues that became more complex with mounting evidence over the years.