Federal Court cancels ‘unreasonable’ release order for accused murderer with alleged ties to the Bishnoi gang

Federal Court of Canada sign hangs above the door frame inside the Supreme Court of Canada building in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK /Postmedia

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OTTAWA — A Federal Court judge cancelled an “unreasonable” order to release an accused murderer and international fugitive with alleged ties to India’s infamous Bishnoi gang pending the end of his immigration legal process.

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In a stern decision issued Monday, Federal Court judge Phuong T.V. Ngo slapped down a decision by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada ordering the release of Karamveer Singh on certain conditions while he fights a deportation order against him.

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Ngo found that the release decision failed to account for many serious concerns with the provenance of over $100,000 in bonds for his release by his two sisters. She also noted that the conditions for Singh’s release did not assuage ongoing concerns that he is both a flight risk and a “danger to the Canadian public”.

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“The Decision does not provide reasons that justify the sisters’ credibility, and thus, their suitability as bondspersons and ability to exert any control over their brother. Without sufficient reasons, the Court cannot conclude that there was an analysis sufficiently robust to ensure that the public will not be exposed to any material risk of harm,” wrote Ngo.

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Ngo’s ruling makes it clear that Singh’s proceeding isn’t your run-of-the-mill deportation case. In immigration court, Singh has denied all the allegations of wrongdoing against him.

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Singh fled India in 2019 while released on bail after he was charged with murder, a charge he denied and claims is linked to political persecution. “(Singh) was charged with murder in India and absconded bail, leaving the country before trial. He is an international fugitive of justice,” reads Ngo’s decision.

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He is also allegedly a member of the Bishnoi gang, a transnational criminal organization listed as a terrorist entity by Ottawa last fall due to its links to a slew of violent crimes in Canada in recent years.

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In fact, U.S. FBI documents presented by the federal government in court go as far as suggesting Lawrence Bishnoi personally tasked Singh with “taking care of his brother in the U.S.,” according to a separate Federal Court decision on Singh’s case in July. The documents were first reported by CBC last month.

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The FBI documents also suggest that Singh allegedly ordered a shooting and arson at the Victoria-area residence of popular Punjabi musician AP Dhillon in September 2024.

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“This evidence… also notes that the FBI received information that Mr. Singh financed a jewellery store in Brampton owned by (his brother in law Gurdeep Singh) Dhaliwal and linked to the Bishnoi Gang’s operations,” reads the July Federal Court decision which is also referenced by Ngo.

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According to court records, after spending some time in the U.S. and Mexico, Singh entered Canada by foot between ports of entry in Quebec in January 2025 and made a refugee claim. But his request was quickly denied after it was discovered that he had already made such a claim in the United States.