Jassi killing: Canada allows extradition of mother, uncle

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

The Punjab Police will send a team to Canada to bring here the two main accused in the Jassi honour killing case – the victim’s mother, Malkiat Kaur Sidhu, and uncle Surjit Singh Badesha – after a Canadian court today refused to stay the duo’s extradition.

State DGP Suresh Arora said they would send a team as soon as they got official intimation about approval for extradition.

In Jagraon, Jassi’s husband Sukhwinder Singh alias Mithu hoped that this time there would be no hurdle and his wife’s “killers” would face trial in India.

“I thank the almighty in the hope of seeing truth prevail. I also thank the Indian police and the government for pursuing the case, and also the media, especially The Tribune, for relentlessly highlighting my plight,” he said.

Canadian-born Jaswinder Sidhu alias Jassi had married Mithu, a resident of Kaunke Khosa near Jagraon in Ludhiana, in May 2000 against the wishes of her parents.

In September last year, Canada had declined the extradition of the accused at the last minute when a police team from Punjab had boarded a plane to India with the duo.

The lawyers of the accused appealed before a top court, saying that the Punjab Police and the Royal Canada Mounted Police did not inform the family before taking them away from a jail to India for facing trial.

As per reports from Canada, the British Columbia Court of Appeal has dismissed an application by Malkiat Kaur and Surjit Singh to have the extradition order against them stayed because they claimed there was an “abuse of process”. The court said today that the accused had been given a long time to furnish evidence to avoid extradition.

According to the Punjab Police, the duo had ordered the killing of Jassi and Mithu by contract killers, led by an inspector. Jassi (25) was found dead, her throat slit, in 2000. Mithu had survived the attack. Malkiat Kaur (65) and her brother, Surjit Singh (70), were arrested in 2012.

Looking back

• 1996: Canada-born Jaswinder Sidhu (Jassi) travels to India with her family; falls in love with Sukhwinder Singh (Mithu), a kabaddi player, son of small farmer 
• May 2000: Jassi marries Mithu against her parents’ wishes
• June 2000: Jassi murdered; Mithu survives attack
• Oct 2005: Seven men convicted; Punjab Police allege they were paid by Jassi’s mother Malkiat Kaur Sidhu and uncle Surjit Singh Badesha to carry out the killing
• Feb 2008: Court acquits three; upholds conviction of four
• Jan 2012: Malkiat Kaur and Surjit Singh arrested
• May 2014: British Columbia SC judge orders extradition to India of Malkiat and Surjit