deposes against Jassi's mother Malkit Kaur and uncle Surjeet Badesha
cross-examination today
#jassi; Mithu: Jassi honour killing case
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 2
Over 21 years after the “honour killing” of
his wife and Canadian citizen Jassi, Mithu came face to face for the
first time with her mother and uncle, both facing charges in a Sangrur
court for allegedly ordering Jassi’s killing. 
Mithu gave his testimony on October 29 in the case before the court of Additional Sessions Judge Smriti Dhir, narrating the sequence of events where they had first met in 1994, fell in love, got secretly married in April 1999 before contract killers, allegedly hired by Jassi’s mother Malkit Kaur and maternal uncle Surjeet Singh Badesha, killed Jassi in June 2000 and left Mithu in fields, thinking he had died of multiple stabs.
Mithu survived to tell the horrific tale, which has been the subject of several international documentaries, TV shows, a book and movies.
Mithu, who is facing a separate trial under the NDPS Act and has been in Ludhiana jail since May last year, was brought amid tight security with at least 25 guards.
Surjeet was brought from Kapurthala jail, where he is incarcerated while facing the trial. Malkit had got bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court last year.
Mithu has faced seven different cases since the murder, including rape and drugs smuggling. He was acquitted in six of those. He has been claiming that he was falsely implicated in the cases to pressure him to strike a compromise in the murder case.
Malkit and Surjeet were extradited to India in January 2019 after a long legal battle and dramatic twists in India and Canada. Mithu, in several media interviews, stated that he was alive only to fight for justice for Jassi and confront her mother. “I wanted to ask her if marrying for love and not as per parent’s wishes was such a big crime?” However, Mithu and the accused were kept at bay amid heavy police security. The case will again come up for hearing tomorrow when the defence lawyers would cross-examine Mithu.
Mithu had last met Malkit before marrying Jassi secretly. The mother and daughter were visiting Surjeet’s house in Kaunke Khosa near Jagraon. Surjeet lived in a villa, while Mithu lived in a two-room house behind it. Surjeet and Malkit were reportedly against Jassi’s wish to marry Mithu as the prospective bridegroom was poor and belonged to the same village as Jassi’s mother.
Of the 12 contract killers allegedly hired by the accused, three, including a dismissed sub-Inspector of the Punjab Police, were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court.
Face to face
During Mithu’s testimony, which went on for almost two hours, Malkit (mother) and Surjeet (uncle) were present in the court room. He identified them during his deposition. Ashwani Chaudhary, Mithu’s lawyer
first published: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/jassis-husband-to-be-cross-examined-today-333531
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