Jassi killing: Canadian SC stays extradition at last minute

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 21

In a sudden twist in the Jassi honour killing case, the Supreme Court of Canada has stayed the extradition of  two prime accused--Malkiat Kaur and Surjit Singh Badesha, mother and maternal uncle of Jassi--just before a plane carrying them to India was about to take off.

The court announced that it would review the extradition as certain Facebook posts from India claimed that the two would be convicted immediately. Under the extradition treaty, the Indian government gives an undertaking of a fair trial but the posts claimed otherwise. 

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Punjab Police officials said sketchy details were available from the three-member team about the revised court order and the Facebook posts. “We took the two in custody on Wednesday. We are trying to establish contact with the team and Canadian police but the time difference between the two countries is delaying the communication.”

The team was supposed to reach New Delhi at 9 pm on Thursday. The police had made arrangements for producing them before a Judge in Sangrur on Friday.

“The Canadian officials made the two accused and the Punjab Police team alight from the plane at the last minute. They had boarded the plane with due permission of the Canadian government,” said an official.

The Punjab Police comprises Kanwardeep Kaur, SP Headquarters, Patiala; Akashdeep Singh Aulakh, DSP, Dhuri; and Inspector Deepinder Pal Singh.

Jassi and her husband Sukhwinder Singh Mithu of Kaunke Khosa in Jagraon were attacked on June 8, 2000 near Malerkotla by contract killers, allegedly hired by Jassi’s mother and uncle. Jassi died while Mithu survived.