Reopen Kanishka case, demands India

NEW DELHI: Though still unclear about the Canadian authorities' course of action following the Air-India Kanishka blast verdict, the Centre has prepared and submitted grounds to support filing of a revision plea in the case. The main reason ascribed to support such a plea is that the evidence provided by the investigating agency was ignored at the trial stage.Top sources in the government said, "Our hands were tied as we did not have a locus standi to file a revision petition. So, we have prepared solid representations to persuade the Canadian authorities to consider a revision." A British Columbian court last month acquitted Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, who were charged with the death of 329 passengers travelling aboard the Kanishka in June 1985. Experts well-versed in international law thoroughly scrutinised the evidence and the 600-page verdict before concluding that the case was "beautifully" investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "But the evidence provided was not taken up in totality during the trial stage," said the sources, who prepared grounds to express India's... ...anguish and disappointment over the outcome of the trial. The Indian experts, who prepared the grounds, asserted "that only because some of the witnesses turned hostile and did not support the prosecution story, the judge had disregarded the entire evidence. The court did not even declare those witnesses as hostile." The grounds for the revision plea have had to be rushed through since the Indian authorities have to meet an April 15 "period of limitation" deadline. On Tuesday, the external affairs ministry reiterated its stance before the Canadian authorities during the Joint Working Group meeting on counter-terrorism. It categorically stated, "India wants justice to be done. India and Canada are partners in the fight against terrorism. We are confident that Canada would do the right thing."