Moose Wala murder: Decks cleared for trial to start against man who harboured Haryana module shooters

Almost three months after the special investigation team (SIT) probing the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala filed a supplementary chargesheet against an accused Joginder Singh Joga, who harboured shooters of the Haryana module that killed the singer, the Mansa chief judicial magistrate committed it to the sessions court.

The committal of the supplementary chargesheet will clear the way for the trial to start in the main case, which is already ongoing in the sessions court, and expedite the proceedings. In the past months, the matter was adjourned by the trial court on multiple hearings for the want of a supplementary chargesheet.

Mansa chief judicial magistrate Surabhi Prasher in an order last week said the present supplementary challan is committed to the court of sessions at Mansa, as the main challan has already been committed to the court of sessions. Following the committal, Joga was presented in the court of Mansa district and sessions judge Preet Sahni on Friday through video conferencing to initiate trial proceedings. The court adjourned the matter for arguments on framing of charges and listed it along with the main chargesheet on January 5 for hearing.

In September, Punjab police had filed a supplementary chargesheet against Joga, a resident of Jind in Haryana. As per SIT, Joga had provided shelter to four Haryana module shooters — Priyavart Fauji, Ankit Sersa, Deepak Mundi and Kashish — after they killed Moose Wala at Uklana Mandi in Hisar of Haryana.

Moose Wala was shot dead by six assailants at Jawahar Ke village in Punjab’s Mansa on May 29 last year.

SIT probing Moose Wala’s murder has filed three chargesheets against 32 accused, including gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, claiming the murder was part of a series of revenge killings between the Bishnoi and Bambiha gangs.

Of the total 32 accused, the police had arrested 29. Two of them — Mandeep Singh and Manmohan Singh — were killed during a clash in Goindwal jail in February. Two shooters — Manpreet Singh Mannu and Jagroop Singh Roopa — were killed in a police encounter at Amritsar before filling of the chargesheets. Three accused, including Goldy Brar, Anmol Bishnoi and Lipin Nehra are absconding and are believed to be abroad.

Mansa police are yet to file a supplementary chargesheet against another accused Sachin Thapan Bishnoi, who was extradited from Azerbaijan.