India, Canada agree to restore High Commissioners to each other's capitals at early date
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Kananaskis (PTI): India and Canada have agreed to restore High Commissioners to each other's capitals at an early date, the first in “calibrated steps” to restore stability to the “very important relationship”, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney had a “very positive and constructive meeting” on the sidelines of the G7 Summit here in Kananaskis.
“The meeting discussed the importance of the India-Canada relationship, which is based on shared values, democracy and the rule of law, people-to-people contact and many other commonalities,” Misri said in a video statement.
He said that the prime ministers agreed to take “calibrated steps” to restore stability to this "very important relationship", and the “first of these steps that was agreed on was to restore High Commissioners to each other's capitals at an early date. Other diplomatic steps will follow.”
In due course, the two prime ministers also agreed to resume senior and working-level mechanisms and discussions in a host of areas related to trade, people-to-people contact and connectivity, intended to bring greater momentum to the relationship.
Last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the killing of pro-Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
At Tuesday's meeting, the two leaders discussed potential collaboration on various issues related to clean energy, clean technology, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, food security, critical minerals and supply chains.
“In view of the trade negotiations between the two countries that are currently paused, the two leaders also decided to instruct their officials to take it up at an early date,” Misri said, adding that the two leaders agreed to stay in touch and meet once again at the earliest possible opportunity.
A statement issued by the office of the Canadian Prime Minister said that Carney and Modi reaffirmed the importance of Canada-India ties based upon mutual respect, the rule of law, and a commitment to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The leaders agreed to designate new high commissioners, with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries,” the statement said.
The two leaders also discussed strong and historic ties between the peoples, partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, and significant commercial links between Canada and India – including partnerships in economic growth, supply chains, and energy transformation.
Carney “raised priorities on the G7 agenda, including transnational crime and repression, security, and the rules-based order,” the statement said, adding that the leaders also discussed opportunities to deepen engagement in areas such as technology, the digital transition, food security, and critical minerals.
Last year in October, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced it was withdrawing its High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other "targeted" officials from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa's allegations linking the envoy to the probe of Nijjar's killing, in a major downturn in already frosty ties between the two nations.
Verma was declared a "person of interest" by Canada in its investigation into the June 2023 killing of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who has been declared a Khalistani terrorist by India. Before Canada could take further action, New Delhi recalled Verma and five other diplomats who were also similarly named.
"This is the pits. This is the most unprofessional approach to a bilateral relation. There are diplomatic tools available in the hands of a diplomat. Those tools could have been used" instead of seeking to interrogate a country's top envoy and other diplomats, Verma had said in an interview with PTI Video.
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Delhi HC asks Jaideep Sengar to surrender in Unnao custodial death case
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Friday asked Jaideep Sengar, brother of Unnao rape case convict Kuldeep Sengar, to surrender before jail authorities in connection with his conviction in the custodial death case of the survivor's father.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja was hearing a plea by the convict for further extension of interim bail upon suspension of the 10-year sentence.
It observed that the interim bail granted to Jaideep Sengar in July 2024 was last extended in April 2025 and since then, in spite of five dates, no order of any further extension or suspension of his sentence has been passed by the court.
As the senior counsel for Jaideep Sengar urged the bench to extend the period of his release on account of his health, the bench said, "You surrender and then we will see."
"Although there is no extension of interim suspension of sentence granted, we find he has still not surrendered. Before we proceed to consider his application for further extension of suspension of sentence, we require the appellant to first surrender," the bench ordered.
The senior counsel for Jaideep Sengar assured the court that he would surrender by Saturday.
The court listed the matter for hearing next week.
Jaideep Sengar, 50, sought the bail extension on the grounds that he is suffering from oral cancer.
The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) counsel had earlier said it was not a fit case for extension of interim bail, and the prescription given by Jaideep Sengar in support of his plea was fabricated.
In his application, Jaideep Sengar said he was suffering from stage IV oral cancer, a life-threatening condition, and had developed clinical signs of recurrence.
The condition, the plea said, required continuous and specialised medical care.
The plea also informed that Jaideep Sengar has spent about four years in custody.
The high court had granted interim bail to Jaideep Sengar on July 3, 2024, for two months on medical grounds.
Kuldeep Sengar was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life on December 20, 2019, for raping the minor in 2017.
On March 13, 2020, Kuldeep Sengar, along with Jaideep Sengar, was sentenced to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment by the trial court, which also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh, in the custodial death case of the rape survivor's father.
The survivor's father was arrested, allegedly at the behest of the accused, under the Arms Act and died in custody on April 9, 2018, owing to police brutality.
The trial court said no leniency could be shown for killing a family's sole breadwinner.
