The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday reiterated that the special investigation team (SIT) set up by the high court should examine the role of senior officers and ensure that lower level officials are not made scapegoats in the Lawrence Bishnoi interview controversy.
“It is difficult to believe that the interview could have taken place without involvement of senior officers especially when the place of interview could be established only after the intervention of this court,” observed the bench of justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and justice Deepak Manchanda. The bench made the observation during resumed hearing of a plea initiated in 2023 in connection with the interviews aired by a private channel of gangster, Lawrence Bishnoi
The controversy is about 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, the 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, 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 broad daylight murder of prominent Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was killed in 2022. He had also hinted at taking revenge on actor Salman Khan for allegedly hunting blackbucks in Rajasthan in 1998.
{{/usCountry}}In the interviews, the gangster claimed that he was not involved in the broad daylight murder of prominent Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was killed in 2022. He had also hinted at taking revenge on actor Salman Khan for allegedly hunting blackbucks in Rajasthan in 1998.
{{/usCountry}}Former IPS officer, Prabodh Kumar who is heading the SIT, submitted that investigation is underway and the SIT would be filing a status report within a period of one month. Upon being pointed out by the amicus curiae, Tanu Bedi that proper infrastructure has not been provided to the SIT head, the government assured the court that adequate facilities and infrastructure would be provided to the SIT head. Matter now stands adjourned to August 18. The court also allowed inclusion of Dhruv Dahiya, AIG, Counter Intelligence as a member of the SIT. Third member of the SIT is Nageshwar Rao,
ADGP, provisioning.
Court seeks data on extortion, ransom calls
The high court has sought data on cases reported in the state of extortions, ransom calls and target killings between January and July 15.
The court observed that in August 2024 also similar data was sought after interviews aired and data submitted by the state indicated an increase in crime after the telecast of the interview. “There appears to be further increase in crime in the recent past, especially relating to extortions, threatening/ransom calls, targeted killings etc,” the bench recorded asking the DGP to file details on these crimes reported between January 1 and July 15 and also spell out steps being taken by Punjab to prevent these crimes.
The state government has told the high court that the requisition for recruitment to the posts of assistant superintendents, wardens (500 posts) has been sent to the Punjab Subordinate Selection Board. The process for recruitment to the post of deputy superintendent, jail which is to be conducted by the Punjab Public Service Commission is underway, the court was told adding that are also 1000 police personnel and 400 personnel from reserve police, who are being engaged for different duties in jails.
As of jail infrastructure, the court was apprised that 800 prison inmate calling system has been put in place and there are about 159 facilities for video conferencing from states jails but it is not being adequately utilised for appearance of high risk prisoners before the trial courts.