Indian national faces trial over wife's murder in Canada

Ottawa, Jan 14 (PTI) Murder trial has begun in a Canadian court for an Indian national accused of stabbing his wife to death in British Columbia, a media report has said.

Jagpreet Singh, 52, who is accused of killing his wife, Balwinder Kaur, stabbed her multiple times days after he arrived from India on March 9, 2024, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC News) said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Singh appeared in British Columbia's Abbotsford court house, which was told that Singh arrived in Canada on a visitor visa to visit his wife and daughter.

“Six days later, Ms Kaur was dead, and Mr Singh was in police custody,” Crown prosecutor Rob Macgowan told the court, outlining the brief timeline between Singh’s arrival and the killing.

Local newsportal Langley Advance Times said that despite receiving treatment at Abbotsford Regional Hospital, Kaur was pronounced dead at 12:03 a.m. on March 16.

Singh’s charges were then updated to second-degree murder. He underwent multiple police interviews and as a result of Singh’s responses to the police, Macgowan said the focus of the trial is centred more around his state of mind during the time of the killing, the news portal said.

“It does not appear that there is likely to be any issue taken with the fact that Mr Singh is responsible for Ms. Kaur’s death,” he said. The Crown will try to prove that Singh possessed a state of mind that meets the qualifications for second-degree murder, which carries a minimum sentence of life in prison with no parole for 10 years, he added.

Singh pleaded not guilty in July 2025, his defence counsel, Josh Oppal, was quoted as saying by CBC News.

The couple married in India in 2000 and had two children. Kaur moved to Canada to care for their daughter, who developed serious medical issues, while Singh remained in India. Police also gave a detailed background to their relationship.

The trial is scheduled to continue until February 23, the CBC News said. PTI SKS SKS NPK NPK