Pizza-man says he faces threat in India

Toronto pizza-man Harjit Singh may be on his way to India this week if the court orders his deportation.

Toronto pizza-man Harjit Singh, whose free-pizzas-for-asylum allegations cost Canadian immigration minister Judy Sgro her job last week, may be on his way to India this week if the court orders his deportation.

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Singh, who claims he faces threat to his life if he is deported to India, appears in court on Wednesday in what is his last chance to stay his deportation.

He had come to Canada in 1988 with his family on a visitor visa and later applied for a refugee status. He had claimed that he was tortured by the Indian police for his alleged links with terrorists.

Even as his case was pending for clearance, he went to India in 1995 on someone else's passport. Under law for refugee status in Canada, a claimant cannot leave the country till his case is decided.

Since Singh had visited India and lied about it, immigration authorities didn't clear his case for permanent residency.

Reports quoting Indian authorities say Singh had also been ``convicted of forgery and attempting to take a child out of India illegally.''

Meanwhile, a friend of Singh on Monday said he had personally taken him for a meeting with Judy Sgro in her campaign office during the June parliamentary elections.