Timeline: The murder of Jassi Sidhu
Almost two decades after Jaswinder (Jassi) Kaur Sidhu was killed in India, the prosecution of those accused in her murder has yet to wrap up. Here's a timeline of the events so far.
Secret romance
December 1994: Young Maple Ridge resident Jassi Sidhu meets rickshaw driver Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu, a.k.a. Mithu, during a trip to Punjab province in India. They fall in love and begin a long-distance romance.
March 15, 1999: The couple are married in a secret ceremony in a gurdwara in India, against the wishes of Sidhu's family.
Spring 2000: Sidhu visits her local RCMP detachment to ask for help protecting her husband from her family. She would soon run away from home with the help of a police officer.
The murder
June 8, 2000: Sidhu, 25, and her husband are attacked while riding a scooter near Sangrur, Punjab. Sidhu is kidnapped, her throat is slit and her body is found in a canal the next day. Her husband is severely beaten and left for dead, but he survives.
Oct. 21, 2005: Seven of 11 people charged with Sidhu's murder are convicted in India. That includes one of her uncles, Darshan Singh Badesha, who was accused of arranging the killing in India on behalf of the family in Canada. At least three of those convictions would eventually be overturned.
Jan. 6, 2012: Sidhu's mother, Malkit Kaur Sidhu, and uncle, Surjit Singh Badesha, are arrested in Maple Ridge and await an extradition hearing on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
The extradition process
May 9, 2014: B.C. Supreme Court Justice Gregory Fitch orders Sidhu and Badesha to be extradited to India to stand trial. Then-justice minister Peter MacKay later signs surrender orders for both accused.
April 16, 2015: The Supreme Court of India acquits Darshan Badesha of all charges related to Jassi Sidhu's murder.
Feb. 26, 2016: The B.C. Court of Appeal sets aside the surrender orders for Malkit Sidhu and Surjit Badesha. In a split decision, the court says it wasn't reasonable for the minister to accept India's assurances about Sidhu and Badesha's safety once they leave Canada.
Aug. 11, 2016: The Supreme Court of Canada agrees to hear the government's appeal of the appeal court's decision not to extradite Sidhu and Badesha.
Sept. 8, 2017: The Supreme Court of Canada overturns the appeal court decision, ruling that Sidhu and Badesha should be extradited to India to face trial.
Sept. 21, 2017: The extradition is halted once again after the B.C. Court of Appeal accepts Sidhu and Badesha's filing of an application for judicial review. The two were already in Toronto in RCMP custody and bound for India when they learned of the decision.
The trial in India
Dec. 11, 2018: The B.C. Court of Appeal rejects Sidhu and Badesha's application for a stay of extradition proceedings.
Jan. 24, 2019: Sidhu and Badesha arrive in Delhi after being extradited from Canada.
Jan. 25, 2019: Sidhu and Badesha make their first appearance in a court in Malerkotla, Punjab. They're escorted by police and wear black bags over their heads.
