Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who leads the Sikhs for Justice movement in Canada following the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has had gun possession charges against him stayed in an Ontario court.

Gosal was charged in September 2025, when Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) stopped his car in Whitby, Ont. Police alleged they found a loaded handgun in a car, and charged Gosal along with two companions.

Charges against Arman Singh of Ontario and Jagdeep Singh of New York were dropped two months later, but continued against Gosal.

Friday’s stay means the charges are suspended for a year, and are automatically dropped at the end of that year unless the Crown seeks to reopen the case.

Gosal told CBC News the ruling frees him to go back to organizing non-binding independence votes to create a Sikh country in India’s state of Punjab.

“Since the gun charges and all the travel restrictions have been removed, I’ll be concentrating on organizing the Oct. 18 calls on referendum that will be taking place in Alberta,” he said.

Previous threats to his life

Gosal has previously been warned by police that his life is in danger as a result of his political activities in the Khalistani movement.

He was the apparent target of a drive-by shooting in February 2024, when persons unknown fired into a house in Brampton, Ont. The house was under construction at the time and no family members were present.

Shortly before his arrest, Gosal reported receiving fresh warnings from police that his life was in danger.

He told CBC News that he was offered the chance to enter a witness protection program.

“I respectfully declined,” he said, “because I’d rather take India’s bullet than stop campaigning for the Khalistan referendum.”

More referendums coming

Sikhs for Justice have organized a string of referendums through the Sikh diaspora around the world.

Votes have already taken place in Surrey, B.C., Calgary, Ottawa and in the Greater Toronto Area, attracting tens of thousands of voters. A vote was held on the weekend in Seattle. Votes have also been held in the U.S., U.K., Italy, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.

The next referendum is scheduled to take place in Indiana on Aug. 16, followed by the Oct. 18 vote in Edmonton. Gosal says travel restrictions imposed with the gun charges would have prevented him from travelling to Alberta to help organize that vote, but he now intends to do so.

The Indian government has condemned the referendums as an attack on its sovereignty, and labelled the leadership of Sikhs for Justice terrorists. The government of Canada has accused India’s government of ordering the killing of Nijjar.

Four men, allegedly connected to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, have been charged in Nijjar’s murder. India has denied involvement in the killing.