Jurors seek clarity from Air India perjury trial judge

VANCOUVER - Jurors taking part in the perjury trial of Indian Canadian Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person convicted in the 1985 bombing of an Air India jet that claimed 331 lives off the Irish coast, have sought clarity from British Colombia Supreme Court Justice Mark McEwen about the meaning of “procure” as it relates to charges against Reyat. Justice McEwen told them the word means to “acquire, obtain or get.”

Reyat is facing a single count of perjury over allegations he lied 19 times when he testified in the Air India case in 2003.

According to the Globe and Mail, the relevant section of the charges subject to the jury question today refers to allegations that Reyat made misleading statements or did not recall details of the alleged conspiracy to bomb the Air India flight in 1985, including a suggestion that after Talwinder Singh Parmar “asked him to build an explosive device, he procured dynamite from various sources but only blew up stumps.”

The jury began their deliberations Thursday, working for six hours before calling it a night.

Reyat pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Air India bombing. He testified as a Crown witness against two suspects who were acquitted. In 2006, he was charged with perjury near the conclusion of a five-year sentence for manslaughter. (ANI)