Bishnoi interview: Consider retd judge Raina for probe officer’s job: HC to Punjab

The high court on Wednesday told the Punjab government to consider name of justice (retd) RN Raina as inquiry officer to probe role of senior officers in 2023 controversy pertaining to interviews of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi by a private channel while in incarceration.

During the hearing on Friday, state’s advocate general Gurminder Singh gave a list of names in a sealed cover report out of which the high court bench of justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and justice Lapita Banerji suggested that former Punjab and Haryana high court judge justice Raina be considered for the job.

“He shall be provided adequate security and infrastructure by the state government. The competent authority may pass necessary order in this regard expeditiously. Needless to mention that the inquiry officer would be suitably remunerated,” the bench said posting the matter for January 16 for further hearing.

The court was hearing a suo motu plea initiated in 2023 in connection with the interviews. Suo motu proceedings were initiated observing that such interviews tend to glorify crime and criminals and could have an adverse effect on impressionable minds. Later, the interviews were deleted but the police had told the court that these interviews garnered 12 million views on YouTube.

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, a Special Investigation Team (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 in 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 had claimed that he was not involved in the gruesome and broad daylight murder of prominent Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was killed in 2022. He had also hinted at taking revenge from actor Salman Khan for allegedly hunting blackbucks in Rajasthan in 1998.

While criminal investigation is being conducted by an SIT headed by special director general of police, Prabodh Kumar, justice Raina would probe departmental proceedings against the officers who were associated in some manner and their role.

Inspector Shiv Kumar, the then in-charge of CIA Kharar, who was on extension post retirement, has been terminated. The government has also decided to dismiss Gursher Singh Sandhu, a deputy superintendent of police, by invoking powers under Article 311(2) of the Constitution of India. Gursher Singh was named as a “key conspirator” in connection with the facilitation of the gangster’s interview. He was among supervisory officers, besides, then SSP, Mohali, Vivek Sheel Soni (IPS), Mohali, Amandeep Brar (PPS). At that time of interviews, Bishnoi was being probed for his alleged role in Moose Wala’s murder.

As of criminal investigation, the police filed a challan only against Bishnoi and also dropped six charges as mentioned in the FIR and filed 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 and has ordered further investigation by the same SIT.