A Canadian court has granted a last-minute stay on the deportation of Indian-origin truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, temporarily halting his deportation to India days before he was to be deported.The emergency order was issued by Justice Jocelyn Gagne, who halted Sidhu’s deportation while the court reviews the ongoing legal challenge. Sidhu is seeking to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds after the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) refused to delay his removal.Sidhu is a permanent resident of Canada who was scheduled to be deported on Monday next week. His legal team continues to protest the decision, arguing that his personal circumstances were not adequately considered.The case relates to a 2018 crash in Saskatchewan, one of the deadliest incidents in Canadian sporting history. Sidhu drove a lorry through a stop sign at a rural intersection near Tisdale and collided with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. Sixteen people were killed and thirteen others were injured.He was later sentenced to eight years in prison for dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm. After serving part of his sentence, Sidhu was granted parole.Earlier, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada had ruled that he should be deported. Even Sidhu’s lawyer Michael Green described the case as inadmissible under existing law. Green said the verdict required only proof that Sidhu was not a Canadian citizen and had committed a serious crime.The federal court had earlier rejected Sidhu’s legal team’s arguments that border officials failed to consider his clean record and his remorse before the crash.Meanwhile, opinions remain divided. Several families of the victims had demanded Sidhu’s deportation, saying it was necessary for justice. Additionally, advocacy efforts have emerged from both sides, including a petition by media platform The Counter Signal urging authorities to deport him without delay.
