More than 21 years after a B.C. woman named Jassi Sidhu was murdered while visiting the man she secretly married against the wishes of her family, her husband has appeared in a Punjab courtroom to give his testimony and be cross-examined as a witness in the case.
This marked the first time Sukhwinder Singh, known as Mithu, was face to face with his slain wife’s mother and uncle since he and his wife were ambushed and attacked on June 8, 2000.
Jassi’s mother, Malkit Kaur Sidhu and her maternal uncle, Surjit Singh Badesha, who were both extradited to India in 2019, are accused of ordering the killing of the 25-year-old Maple Ridge woman.
It was a gruesome attack where Jassi was tied to a chair, beaten and killed in a horrifying twist to what was meant to be a time of celebration for the newlyweds.
Mithu was badly beaten and knocked unconscious; some journalists who interviewed Mithu when he regained consciousness weeks later told Global News they don’t know how he survived his injuries.
In his testimony and cross-examination this week, Mithu, who is in prison on unrelated drug-related offences, blamed Kaur and Badesha for the murder of his wife and the attack that was allegedly meant to kill him.
“I have been facing threats from the relatives of my deceased wife and police have been registering false cases against me. But I have faith in the Indian Judicial system and that I would get justice soon,” Mithu said outside of court on Wednesday, according to The Tribune newspaper.
In their testimony, Jassi’s mother and uncle said they did not approve of her marriage with Mithu, who is from a poorer family, but they deny having any involvement in her murder.
The pair’s lawyer Simrandeep Singh told Global News that in his cross-examination, Mithu was unable to remember some of the specific details he was asked about.
Sidhu was released on bail in December of 2020 due to time served, according to Singh, and Badesha’s bail application is fixed for Nov. 9.
The case, which has dragged on for over two decades in part because the crime and the love story at the centre of it span two continents, is the focus of this week’s Global Television’s true crime series Crime Beat.
Those who knew Jassi and have dedicated much of their lives to fighting for what they believe justice means for her, help take us through the timeline of the tragedy, the complicated court process that would follow and how Jassi’s story continues to live on today.
Crime Beat TV’s “Forbidden Love” episode airs on Global Television at 10 p.m. PST on Friday, Nov. 5.
Check local listings for airtimes.