The Canadian foreign interference commission was not mandated to investigate the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and “it is up to the courts to decide accountability”, the country’s High Commission in Delhi said on Thursday, PTI reported.

The statement came two days after the Canadian inquiry commission said in its report that no definitive foreign link could be proved with respect to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims of a link between agents of the Indian government and Nijjar’s killing.

The Canadian inquiry commission was tasked with investigating alleged foreign interference in Canada’s federal electoral processes and democratic institutions.

The inquiry commission’s report had cited the Nijjar case to say that disinformation “is also used as a retaliatory tactic, to punish decisions that run contrary to a state’s interests.”

It added: “This may have been the case with a disinformation campaign that followed the prime minister’s announcement regarding suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar [though again no definitive link to a foreign state could be proven].”

On Thursday, PTI quoted the diplomatic mission as saying that the “PIFI [Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference] was not mandated to investigate” the murder of Nijjar.

“The statement in question simply reflects that, ultimately, it is up to the courts to decide accountability with respect to this complex matter, which remains under investigation,” the High Commission added.

The development came amid strained diplomatic ties between India and Canada, which broke down in September 2023 after the murder of Nijjar near Vancouver.

In September 2023, Trudeau told his country’s parliament that intelligence agencies were actively pursuing “credible allegations” tying agents of the Indian government to Nijjar’s murder.

Nijjar was a supporter of Khalistan, an independent Sikh nation sought by some groups. He was the head of the Khalistan Tiger Force, which is designated a terrorist outfit in India.

New Delhi has rejected Canada’s allegations.

On Tuesday, the inquiry commission accused India of interfering in the country’s electoral process by clandestinely providing financial support to political leaders and engaging in disinformation.

It alleged that India was the second most active country after China that was interfering with the Canadian electoral process.

The Indian external affairs ministry rejected the Canadian inquiry commission’s report, and alleged that it was in fact Canada that was consistently interfering in India’s internal affairs.

In February 2024 as well, Canada also accused India of trying to influence democratic processes in Canada. The Indian government rejected these allegations.