A Canadian appellate court has affirmed that Bhagat Singh Brar and Parvkar Singh Dulai will remain on the country’s no-fly list, upholding the decision made under the Secure Air Travel Act. The Federal Court of Appeal, in its recent ruling, stated there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that these individuals could engage in terrorist activities if allowed to travel by air.
This judgement follows an incident in 2018 when both Brar and Dulai were prevented from boarding flights in Vancouver. Subsequently, they contested their designation in 2019, but Federal Court Justice Simon Noel maintained the ban in 2022.
Confidential security assessments were pivotal in the court’s decision, indicating that the public safety minister’s action to list Brar and Dulai was justified. The Secure Air Travel Act empowers the minister to ban individuals from flying if they pose a security threat.
Dulai is reportedly linked to the proscribed group Babbar Khalsa and runs media outlets promoting Khalistani separatism. Sources from New Delhi allege that Dulai operates “Channel Punjabi” from Surrey and “Global TV” from Chandigarh, with both channels being used to disseminate pro-Khalistan propaganda.
The court’s decision comes amid rising tensions between India and Canada. Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of potential involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani activist. India has dismissed these allegations as “absurd” and “motivated,” criticising Canada for allowing pro-Khalistan activities on its soil.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “We naturally oppose any moves giving political space to extremism and advocacy of violence.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police continue to investigate Nijjar’s death, which occurred outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June of the previous year.
