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 害羞草研究所渋s to allow Crown to comply with its disclosure obligations.害羞草研究所�

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 Nijjar害羞草研究所檚 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 害羞草研究所渁ppearance害羞草研究所� 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. 害羞草研究所淏ecause of technical incompatibility between our court and courts in Ontario, Mr. Singh is not able to appear by video,害羞草研究所� Jette noted.

害羞草研究所淪pecifically I害羞草研究所檓 told that the Ontario court system uses a different messaging system than we do and they害羞草研究所檙e not able to communicate with each other.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所� 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 Crown害羞草研究所檚 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 it害羞草研究所檚 the group害羞草研究所檚 intention to attend every court appearance.

害羞草研究所淲e are all ready to attend all the hearings that will be held in this case,害羞草研究所� he said.

害羞草研究所淏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,害羞草研究所� Hothi said. 害羞草研究所淪o he was our leader of that moment so that害羞草研究所檚 why we all agree that we should be here at all appearances.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淵ou cannot erase the voice of Khalistan, there is no fear, such fear,害羞草研究所� 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 害羞草研究所渇oot soldiers害羞草研究所� 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 害羞草研究所渇or anyone that害羞草研究所檚 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, that害羞草研究所檚 how the community feels right now.害羞草研究所�

Seeing them in person, he said, 害羞草研究所渋s a reminder for us害羞草研究所� that the accused 害羞草研究所渨ere used by India害羞草研究所� and more 害羞草研究所渨ill come tomorrow or next year.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 really more up to what we can do in Canada to ensure that India is held accountable at the highest levels,害羞草研究所� he added. 害羞草研究所淎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 we害羞草研究所檙e pretty sure that this isn害羞草研究所檛 over on their behalf either.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淯ntil this comes to a conclusion,害羞草研究所� he told reporters, 害羞草研究所淚 think people will be shaken, but again they害羞草研究所檙e very committed to getting justice for Hardeep Singh, ensuring that the Khalistan movement that he was fighting for is pushed forward.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e just at the beginning of the proceedings right now,害羞草研究所� Moninder Singh said. 害羞草研究所淲e know these things take time.

害羞草研究所淲hile we害羞草研究所檙e OK with the way that the proceedings are going so far but we don害羞草研究所檛 want this to kind of stretch on for years.害羞草研究所�