A direct indictment bypasses an important stage where the accused's defense counsel would have the opportunity to cross-examine prosecution witnesses and discover the case against their client before the actual trial begins.

Prosecutors invoked direct indictment to skip preliminary hearings against the men, who are accused of killing Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Their next appearance will be on February 11, 2025, for a case management conference and scheduling of the pretrial applications and the trial dates will occur sometime in the new year

The government of Canada has taken the decision to go ahead with a "direct indictment" against four Indian nationals who are facing accusations of killing Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar,