Kanishka trial delayed after eight lawyers quit

A Canadian judge on Thursday postponed the start of the trial of three Sikh activists charged with the deadly 1985 bombing of Air India Flig...

A Canadian judge on Thursday postponed the start of the trial of three Sikh activists charged with the deadly 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 until the end of March 2003, but predicted it would be much shorter than originally expected.

The trial had been scheduled to begin in November, but both prosecutors and defence attorneys said that date was no longer ‘‘realistic’’ after eight lawyers of an accused resigned last week for reasons that remain secret.

The Air India Boeing 747 exploded in mid-air off the Atlantic coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, killing 329 people in history’s deadliest act of aviation sabotage before the September 11 airliner attacks in the US.

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Inderjit Singh Reyat, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri are charged with murder and conspiracy for the destruction of Flight 182. Malik and Bagri are also charged with an explosion that killed two Tokyo airport workers an hour before Flight 182 went down. The workers were handling luggage set to be put on another Air India flight.

Both bombings are alleged to be the work of Sikh separatists based in Canada who sought revenge for the Indian Army’s bloody 1984 storming of the Golden Temple.

The trial was expected to last up to two years with the prosecution bringing in hundreds of witnesses from around the world, but attorneys indicated on Thursday they are close to an agreement that could sharply reduce the number of people who will be called to testify.

British Columbia Supreme Court Judge Ian Bruce Josephson, who lifted a publication ban to allow the media to report on Thursday’s hearing, predicted the agreement would allow the trial to end ‘‘much, much’’ sooner than had been anticipated.

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Eight of the 10-member defence team of Inderjit Singh Reyat, one of the three accused, quit last week. And none of the lawyers can be forced to disclose the reasons for their move because of the ‘‘solicitor-client privilege’’. A prominent lawyer, David Gibbons, has stepped in to defend Reyat.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) took 15 years to investigate the case and press charges against the three accused.

Though the Air-India Task Force said it had evidence to prove more people’s involvement, no further arrests were made.

This angered victims’ relatives, and the adjournment of the trial now might provoke a public outcry.

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Major Singh Sidhu, who lost his sister in the blast, said justice has been delayed and people are slowly losing faith in the country’s criminal justice system.

Rattan Singh, father of Indira Kalsi, another victim, said: ‘‘I will never get my daughter back. All I’m looking for is justice, which has been delayed. If the government can’t do much, the Canadian Police should deport the accused to where they came from (India).’’

Rattan suspected the latest development is part of a conspiracy by the accused. He said the three, though in prison, are capable of influencing witnesses and lawyers.

Millionaire Ripudaman Singh Malik is said to have influenced the recent election of four new directors to the Khalsa Credit Union. Malik is alleged to have rung up voters from his cell during the election.