Three of four men charged in the June 18, 2023 shooting death of Surrey gurdwara president Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, appeared in person in red prison garb in a high-security courtroom in Surrey provincial court Tuesday, May 21 while the fourth appeared remotely from Ontario, where he is being held.

Judge Emmet Duncan set their next court appearance for June 25 after Crown prosecutor Marcel Daigle explained the adjournment B次元官网网址渋s to allow Crown to comply with its disclosure obligations.B次元官网网址�

Nijjar was shot to death in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Newton. He was found in his truck suffering from gunshot wounds.

Duncan reaffirmed a court order made by Judge Mark Jette on May 15 that the four are not to have contact with three members of NijjarB次元官网网址檚 family and four other people. Jette had also made a mandatory detention order under Section 515 (11) of the Criminal Code, with the help of a Punjabi interpreter.

Amandeep Singh, 22, Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Amandeep Singh appeared remotely while the other three accused appeared in person.

Amandeep Singh had to make his first B次元官网网址渁ppearanceB次元官网网址� in Surrey provincial court on May 15 by telephone from Ontario. When he was arrested by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) on May 11, he was already in custody at the time for unrelated firearm charges out of Peel Regional Police in Ontario. B次元官网网址淏ecause of technical incompatibility between our court and courts in Ontario, Mr. Singh is not able to appear by video,B次元官网网址� Jette noted.

B次元官网网址淪pecifically IB次元官网网址檓 told that the Ontario court system uses a different messaging system than we do and theyB次元官网网址檙e not able to communicate with each other.B次元官网网址�

While B.C. uses Microsoft Teams, Ontario uses Zoom.

Bhupinder Singh Hothi, general secretary of Surrey's Guru Nanak Gurdwara, outside Surrey provincial court Wednesday following 1st court appearance of 4th murder suspect in Nijjar shooting.

B次元官网网址� Tom Zytaruk (@tomzytaruk)

On May 7, demonstrators gathered outside of Surrey provincial court while Karan Brar, Karanpreet Singh and Kamalpreet Singh made their first court appearance virtually by video. Community members outside came with flags and signs, with some reciting religious chants quietly under their breaths as they hoped to learn more about how the CrownB次元官网网址檚 case will unfold.

May 15 saw a second round of this.

Bhupinder Singh Hothi, general secretary of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, said outside the courthouse that itB次元官网网址檚 the groupB次元官网网址檚 intention to attend every court appearance.

B次元官网网址淲e are all ready to attend all the hearings that will be held in this case,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淏ecause it is our leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, that got murdered and you know the cause he got murdered for, for raising his voice for the own Khalistan,B次元官网网址� Hothi said. B次元官网网址淪o he was our leader of that moment so thatB次元官网网址檚 why we all agree that we should be here at all appearances.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淵ou cannot erase the voice of Khalistan, there is no fear, such fear,B次元官网网址� he added.

Hothi also spoke outside the courthouse May 21 amid a crowd of supporters bearing signs with slogans.

He accused the suspects of being B次元官网网址渇oot soldiersB次元官网网址� of the Indian government and maintains the federal government needs to arrest more people.

Moninder Singh, of the BC Gurdwara Council, was next to speak. Asked by the Now-Leader what it was like to be so close in court to those accused of murdering Nijjar, he replied that B次元官网网址渇or anyone thatB次元官网网址檚 here, seeing them on TV or seeing them in person, I think it draws out a bit of emotion. We need to actually get the trial underway, we need to get a conviction and we need to get a sentencing, thatB次元官网网址檚 how the community feels right now.B次元官网网址�

Seeing them in person, he said, B次元官网网址渋s a reminder for usB次元官网网址� that the accused B次元官网网址渨ere used by IndiaB次元官网网址� and more B次元官网网址渨ill come tomorrow or next year.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really more up to what we can do in Canada to ensure that India is held accountable at the highest levels,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淎ll of that has to be kind of brought into the public sphere. So seeing them, while it draws out emotion over the loss that we suffered as a community, it also provides a galvanizing moment for the community to kind of focus back on India. This trial will take its course, but India is still out there and weB次元官网网址檙e pretty sure that this isnB次元官网网址檛 over on their behalf either.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淯ntil this comes to a conclusion,B次元官网网址� he told reporters, B次元官网网址淚 think people will be shaken, but again theyB次元官网网址檙e very committed to getting justice for Hardeep Singh, ensuring that the Khalistan movement that he was fighting for is pushed forward.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e just at the beginning of the proceedings right now,B次元官网网址� Moninder Singh said. B次元官网网址淲e know these things take time.

B次元官网网址淲hile weB次元官网网址檙e OK with the way that the proceedings are going so far but we donB次元官网网址檛 want this to kind of stretch on for years.B次元官网网址�