The Punjab Government has committed to stringent measures against police officers involved in the unauthorized interview of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi while under police custody. This assurance was given to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is scrutinizing the incident following a suo motu case concerning the use of mobile phones by inmates in jails.
During a session presided over by justices Anupinder Singh Grewal and Lapita Banerji, the Punjab Advocate General, Gurminder Singh, affirmed the government’s intent to enforce strict disciplinary actions. The court has also demanded that the principal secretary (home) of Punjab be present in the next hearing scheduled for December 2.
The controversy ignited when a private news channel aired two interviews of Bishnoi, one of which was conducted inside a police facility in Kharar, SAS Nagar, Mohali during early September 2022. Bishnoi, a central figure in the 2022 murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala, was interviewed at a time when he should have been strictly monitored.
The High Court’s intervention came after inconsistencies were noted between the Punjab Police’s report and public statements by the Director General of Police (DGP). In March last year, the DGP claimed that no interview had occurred in any Punjab jail, a statement contradicted by the investigative report and the broadcasted interviews.
In response, the court has ordered the submission of a transcript from the DGP’s press conference for a detailed review. Furthermore, the court highlighted previous directives that senior officials involved in enabling the interview should face consequences, rather than shifting the blame to lower-ranking officers.
The Advocate General informed the court that disciplinary proceedings are already underway, and a retired High Court judge has been appointed to lead an inquiry into the actions of the delinquent officers. Additionally, the court noted that the government is considering revising the panel of retired judges for the inquiry, indicating a thorough and transparent approach to the judicial review.
