Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only man ever convicted in the Air India bombings of 1985 in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday September 10, 2010.Darryl Dyck/ The Globe and Mail
Jurors in the perjury trial of Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person convicted in the 1985 bombing of an Air India jet, have returned from deliberations with a question.
They came into the B.C. Supreme Court to ask Justice Mark McEwen about the meaning of "procure" as it relates to charges against Mr. Reyat.
Mr. McEwen told them the word means to "acquire, obtain or get."
Mr. Reyat is facing a single count of perjury over allegations he lied 19 times when he testified in the Air India case in 2003.
The relevant section of the charges subject to the jury question today refers to allegations Mr. 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."
In explaining the definition, Justice McEwen, based on talks with the crown and defense, said "He acquired dynamite; he obtained dynamite; he got dynamite."
He added: "With that, I'll let you get back to your deliberations."
The jury began their deliberations Thursday, working for six hours before calling it a night.
Mr. Reyat pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Air India bombing, which left 331 people dead. 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.