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Moose Wala murder: Bishnoi appeared before court just once since filing of chargesheet seven months ago
Bishnoi had recently given two interviews to a TV channel through video calls, wherein he made claims about the murder of Moose Wala and also threatened to kill actor Salman Khan
Seven months have passed since the Punjab Police had filed chargesheet in the murder case of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, but one of the key accused, gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has been presented in the court only once out of 21 hearings despite being summoned repeatedly. He was produced through videoconferencing on March 14.
The perusal of court records also showed that Bishnoi is yet to be supplied copies of the chargesheet.
“No correspondence from the jail superintendent with regard to the supply of copies of challan to Lawrence Bishnoi has been received. The superintendent of the jail concerned is directed to send the correspondence to this court well before the date fixed,” Mansa chief judicial magistrate Atul Kamboj had ordered again on Tuesday.
As only three accused were presented, the court said, “Let production warrants of other accused (including Bishnoi) be again issued for April 11 and jail superintendent is directed to produce these accused either physically or through virtual mode.”
Father demands fast-track court for speedy trial
Meanwhile, Moose Wala’s father Balkaur Singh Sidhu said they had asked the state government to set-up a fast track for speedy trial in his son’s murder case. “But so far, nothing has been done. The police have not done their job properly. The accused are not even produced in the court, due to which proceedings get delayed. A fast-track court is a must to deliver justice on time,” he added.
“If he (Bishnoi) could give interviews to a TV channel from the jail, why cannot police produce him during the court hearing?” he questioned.
Bishnoi had recently given two interviews to a TV channel through video calls, wherein he made claims about the murder of Moose Wala and also threatened to kill actor Salman Khan.
Conducted on different dates, the interviews had put a question mark on the working of the Punjab Police and security inside the state’s jails. However, in both instances, Punjab Police categorically denied that Bishnoi gave interviews while he was lodged in the Bathinda jail.
Till now, Punjab Police’s special investigation team (SIT) probing Moose Wala’s murder case has filed two chargesheets against 31 accused. On August 26, last year, the probing team had filed an 1,850-page chargesheet against 24 persons, including gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, while a supplementary chargesheet was filled on December 5 against seven accused.
On May 29, six assailants had shot Moose Wala dead when he, along with his cousin and a friend, was driving in a jeep to Jawaharke village in Mansa, 10km away from the singer’s native village Moosa.
After filling of first chargesheet in August last year, the Mansa court had summoned all the accused. However, majority of them were not produced initially. Following this, the Mansa court had on October 18 ordered local police to take copies of the challan to jails and asked the authorities to supply them to the accused.
Copies of the chargesheet were supplied to all, but court has not received any confirmation on Bishnoi so far.
With the accused lodged in various jails of the state, Punjab Police and prison authorities face the challenge of presenting them all in the court at once.
“The case has not moved forward in the court as most of the accused are not presented during hearings despite repeated summons,” said an official privy to the probe.
A senior police officer said that Bishnoi is facing a number of criminal cases in various states due to which his custody is sought by different law enforcement agencies. “Bishnoi is frequently shifted to different jails due to which, the documents were not supplied to him,” added the official, who didn’t wish to be named.
