Lawrence Bishnoi interviews: HC comes down heavily on Punjab DGP

Why no homework was done before making a public statement that the gangster’s interview didn’t take place in Punjab police custody, the Punjab and Haryana high court asks top cop

The high court on Monday directed the Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav to explain on what basis he made a statement in the media that the interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, aired by a channel, had not been conducted in any jail in the state.

The controversy stems from the two interviews of the gangster telecast on March 14 and March 17, 2023, when he was in Bathinda jail.

The bench of justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and justice Lapita Banerjee observed that he (DGP) ought to have enquired as to whether the interview had been conducted while Bishnoi was in police custody as the period of his police custody was more than the time he spent in the judicial custody in state jail.

“He (DGP) is directed to explain as to why he did not consider the factum of the said criminal being confined in the premises of the CIA Staff, Kharar, for a long period of time and as to whether the interview, which he had conducted, had been conducted within those premises. He has made reference to categoric findings and he ought to clarify those findings and the basis of the statement made to the media. This court grants him another opportunity to file an affidavit to offer explanation in this regard,” the court said while granting him four weeks for the same.

The controversy stems from the two interviews of the gangster telecast on March 14 and March 17, 2023, when he was in Bathinda jail. The Punjab police had initially denied that these interviews took place within the state. Later, a special investigation team (SIT) found that one of the interviews was conducted at the Punjab Police facility in Kharar on the intervening night of September 3 and 4 in 2022 and the second interview was conducted in Rajasthan. The FIR in the second interview’s case has now been transferred to Rajasthan.

In the interviews, the gangster claimed that he was not involved in the 2022 broad daylight murder of prominent Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala. He had also hinted at taking revenge on actor Salman Khan for allegedly hunting blackbucks in Rajasthan in 1998.

The statement that the first interview did not take place in the Punjab facility was made by the DGP himself in March 2023.

Referring to his statement produced in the form of a transcript before the court, the bench observed that it is borne out from the transcript that he has made a mention of the “categoric recorded finding” about the place of the interview, where it was conducted in his press conference.

The court said the DGP in his affidavit has stated that the statement before the media was made on the basis of information provided by the officers of the jail department who were present in a press conference. “It is manifest from the affidavit filed by the DGP that the said criminal was in the premises of the CIA, Kharar, for a period of five months and at the Bathinda jail only for a period of less than two months,” the order said.

Noting that the affidavit of the DGP was not satisfactory, the court said, “He appears to be more concerned about the jails in Punjab although the prison department is not under him. He ought to have inquired as to whether the interview had been conducted while the criminal was in police custody, as the period of custody of the criminal in jails of Punjab was more than the time spent in the judicial custody.”

Govt to dismiss DSP Gursher: AG to HC

The state’s advocate general Gurminder Singh told the court that in view of the findings of SIT headed by the special director general of police, Prabodh Kumar, which had indicated connivance of certain police officers, the state government taking a serious view of the matter has decided to dismiss Gursher Singh Sandhu, a deputy superintendent of police, by invoking powers under Article 311(2) of the Constitution of India. The Hindustan Times on December 15 reported that the state’s home department has recommended the dismissal of the DSP, who was named as a “key conspirator” in connection with the facilitation of the gangster’s interview.

The recommendation has been made to the Punjab public service commission in that regard for further action, the AG informed the court.

Gursher was a DSP (detective). Mohali, at that time and Bishnoi was being probed for his alleged role in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala. Inspector Shiv Kumar, the then in-charge of the CIA staff, Kharar, was issued a show-cause notice.

There were three supervisory officers including then SSP, Mohali, Vivek Sheel Soni (IPS), Mohali, Amandeep Brar (PPS) and Gursher Singh, whose ‘role’ was also probed.

The court has also asked for a list of proposed names, who would conduct the departmental inquiry, in a sealed cover by December 18. The order was passed after the AG told the court that departmental action had been initiated under Rule 10 of the All-India Services Rules against the senior officers as well and all those officers have been posted outside district Mohali.