Diary wanted as evidence at Air India trial



VANCOUVER, Jun 3 2004
The Canadian Press

Defence lawyers for one of the accused Air India bombers are trying to have a dead man's journal admitted as evidence. Co-accused Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri listen to arguments at the

The defence says the journal refutes Crown evidence that a meeting of the alleged co-conspirators was held to discuss the Air India bombing plot – just days before the bombs exploded.

According to the diary, the meeting was called to talk about a lawsuit against newspaper publisher Tara Singh Hayer – who was later murdered.

The diary belonged to Hardial Singh Johal who was to have been a witness at the trial. But he died two years ago.

Johal was long suspected of booking the plane tickets that allowed two suitcases containing bombs to be placed aboard airplanes at Vancouver International Airport.

He was allegedly seen at the airport the day the bags were checked in.

He was arrested and questioned about the plot a number of times between June 1985 and the time of his death.

The diary was seized during a police raid on his Vancouver house five months after the bombings.

Lawyers for accused Air India bomber Ripudaman Singh Malik are trying to convince the judge to admit the diary as evidence.

Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, are on trial for the bombings that killed 331 people.