The Punjab and Haryana High Court has said the cancellation report filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Lawrence Bishnoi interview case raised suspicion of a nexus and criminal conspiracy between police officials and the gangster. The court ordered a fresh investigation into Bishnoi's interview by a private channel in 2023 while he was in Bathinda jail.
"Police officials allowed the criminal to use an electronic device and provided a studio-like facility to conduct the interview, which tends to glorify crime with the potential to facilitate other crimes, including extortion by the criminal and his associates," the court said.
The court also pulled up the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led state government for the handling of the issue, pointing out that lower-level officers were being made scapegoats. The bench, led by Justices Anupinder Singh Grewal and Lapita Banerji, noted that among the suspended officials, only two were gazetted officers, and the remaining were junior personnel.
"Involvement of police officials may suggest receipt of illegal gratification from the criminal or his associates and constitute offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Therefore, the case requires further investigation," the bench said.
Recently, Punjab Police suspended seven personnel, including two deputy superintendent rank officers, in connection with the case. However, the court expressed concerns over the role of Shiv Kumar, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in-charge, who was terminated but had remained on an extension.
The court also questioned the reasoning behind Bishnoi's repeated transfers to the CIA in Kharar solely for remand and interrogation, and directed the state to file additional affidavits.
"It appears that, besides two gazetted officers, all the remaining officers are of lower rank. We had clearly mentioned in our earlier order that lower-level officers should not be made scapegoats," the court said.
Additionally, the court questioned the lack of an affidavit from senior authorities regarding Bishnoi's interview within the Punjab jail.
The court queried, "Why did the DGP state that no interview took place in Punjab's jail, and why was Section 120-B of the Criminal Conspiracy Act not applied to the officers involved?"
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by the Special Director General of Police (Human Rights), admitted that one interview of Bishnoi took place during his custody in Mohali's Kharar, while another was conducted in Rajasthan. Following these findings, seven police personnel were suspended.
The controversy around Bishnoi's interviews gained attention after videos surfaced post the murder of former Maharashtra minister and Ajit Pawar’s NCP leader, Baba Siddique, who was killed by assailants in Mumbai on October 13.
