4 years after Maple Batalia’s death, those accused have yet to stand trial

It has been a long four years for the family of Maple Batalia.

On Sept. 28, 2015, it will be four years since the day the 19-year-old SFU student was gunned down in a campus parking lot after a late-night study session. Batalia was studying to become a dermatologist but was also an aspiring actress and model.

Batalia’s former boyfriend Gurjinder “Gary” Dhaliwal was charged with first-degree murder.

Dhaliwal’s “associate” Gursimar Singh Bedi was charged with manslaughter and being an accessory after the fact.

While Bedi was released, Dhaliwal has been in custody since his arrest. The trial was set to get underway this past summer, but Batalia’s family is still waiting.

In a petition to the provincial and federal governments, the family states:

Four long years and yet those accused of her murder have yet to be prosecuted. That’s four long years that her family have waited. Four years in which they have grieved and turned that grief into raising thousands of dollars for a scholarship in Maple’s name. Yet this is also four long years without justice. In those four years the accused have been investigated and charges laid but justice has not been delivered.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: Four long years and yet those accused of her murder have yet to be prosecuted. That's four long years that her family have waited. Four years in which they have grieved and turned that grief into raising thousands of dollars for a scholarship in Maple's name. Yet this is also four long years without justice. In those four years the accused have been investigated and charges laid but justice has not been delivered.

This year, Batalia’s family will be holding prayers at their local temple in her honour. Everyone is welcome.

The three-day event begins today and ends on Sunday morning at Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar (12885 85 Ave. #115).