A Canadian court has rejected an attempt by two Khalistani extremists to get off Canada’s no-fly list, saying there were reasonable grounds to suspect they might commit terrorist acts.

In its ruling this week, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed the appeals of Bhagat Singh Barard and Parvkar Singh Dulai after they lost a constitutional challenge to their no-fly designations under Canada’s Safe Air Travel Act, The Canadian Press reports.

It was a unanimous decision of the three-judge panel.

Federal Appeals Court Judge David Stratas, writing the ruling on behalf of the panel, said Barad and Dulai’s charter rights were violated when they were added to the Secure Air Travel Act’s (SATA) no-fly list in 2018, as reported by Canadian newspaper The National Post.

Both Sikh Canadian citizens were not allowed to board a plane in Vancouver in 2018.

Dulai was a member of the banned Babbar Khalsa, PTI reported, quoting New Delhi-based sources.

Dulai was a close aide of opposition New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, sources told PTI.

Dulai runs ‘Channel Punjabi’ from Surrey and ‘Global TV’ from Chandigarh. He said that both the channels propagate Khalistani propaganda.

The National Post said the decision protects the federal Canadian government’s no-fly list from constitutional challenge.

The act gives the Minister of Public Safety the power to ban people from flying if “there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they will threaten transport security or travel by air to commit a terrorist offence,” the order says.

The appellate panel found that, based on confidential security information, the minister had “reasonable grounds to suspect that the appellants would travel by air to commit terrorist crimes.”

In 2019, Brar and Dulai petitioned the Federal Court of Canada to have their names removed from the list.

But Justice Simon Noel ruled against them both in 2022.

He ruled that the limitations imposed on Dulai were “the result of an evidence-based suspicion that he might flee abroad to plot a terrorist attack.”

“The Canadian government should enact laws that protect national security and intelligence activities, and respect rights and freedoms, and encourage the international community to do the same,” Noel ruled.

In their appeals, both Brar and Dulai argued that the deprivation of their rights as a result of their inclusion on the list was not “minimal” and was therefore unreasonable.

However, the appellate court ruled that the law was reasonable and that the confidential parts of the court process were procedurally fair.

According to PTI, lawyers for Brar and Dulai did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the court’s decision.

The appellate court’s decision comes amid strained relations between Canada and India over the Justin Trudeau-led government’s refusal to take action against Khalistani elements in the country.

The Trudeau government is running on the support of Jagmeet Singh’s party, the New Democratic Party. Khalistanis like Dulai are reported to be associated with Jagmeet Singh.