Lawrence Bishnoi interview: Cancellation report raises suspicion of nexus between cops, gangster: HC

Punjab and Haryana high court constitutes fresh SIT, orders further probe into FIR registered to probe gangster’s interview while in jail

The Punjab and Haryana high court has said that a cancellation report filed by the police against Lawrence Bishnoi raises suspicion of nexus and criminal conspiracy between police officials and the gangster. The court ordered further investigation into a first information report (FIR) registered to probe Bishnoi’s interview by a private channel in 2023 while he was in jail.

Two interviews of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi were aired on a private channel on March 14 and March 17, 2023, while he was in Bathinda jail. (via REUTERS)

“Police officials allowed the criminal to use 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. 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 presided over by justice Anupinder Singh Grewal observed while constituting a fresh special investigation team (SIT).

The new SIT has been ordered to be headed by Prabodh Kumar, special DGP, Punjab State Human Rights Commission, who led earlier probe team also. Other members would be Nageshwar Rao, ADGP (provisioning) and Nilabh Kishore, ADGP (STF). The SIT is to carry out further investigation towards criminal conspiracy, abetment, forgery, offences under Prevention of Corruption Act, Information Technology Act and also under any other offence. The report has been sought within six weeks.

The SIT had found that Bishnoi’s interview, aired on a private channel, was conducted through a video-conference when he was in the custody of Kharar CIA on September 3-4, 2022.

Two interviews of the gangster were aired on March 14 and March 17, 2023, while he was in Bathinda jail.

On October 9, the police dropped six charges mentioned in the FIR and filed a challan in only one offence of criminal intimidation against the gangster.

When court got to know about the development, it stayed the trial court proceedings on October 16. The FIR registered on January 5 included seven offences, 384 (extortion), 201 (concealment of evidence), 202 ( intentionally withholding information about an offence), 506 (criminal intimidation), 116 (abetment of offences that are punishable by imprisonment) and 120-b (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 52-A (1) of the Prisons (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2011.

The final report filed in a Mohali court on October 9 includes only one section, 506 of the IPC (criminal intimidation) and only against Bishnoi, who was originally named in the FIR.

The court said the SIT has been able to establish that the interview was conducted when Bishnoi was in the custody of Kharar CIA “in the presence of senior officers of the Punjab police”. “The office of the officer in-charge of the police station was used as a studio to conduct the interview. The official Wi-Fi on the premises of the CIA staff had been provided for conducting the interview which is a pointer towards the criminal conspiracy,” the court recorded, adding that the SIT findings were that “roznamcha” was also forged and fabricated.