Lawrence Bishnoi's jail interview matter of grave concern: High Court

Tribune News Service

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, November 9

More than seven months after alleged gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was interviewed by a news channel, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today described it as a matter of “grave concern” before making it clear that the officers who permitted or facilitated the interview were required to be taken to task at the earliest after being identified.

Virtually admonishing the authorities concerned for tardy investigation in the matter, the Bench of Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Kirti Singh also directed Additional Director General of Prisons to file an affidavit explaining why it had taken so long for a probe committee to submit its report. Advocate Tanu Bedi was also asked to assist the court as amicus curiae.

Moosewala’s father thanks HC

• Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh has thanked the Punjab and Haryana Court for taking cognisance of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi giving an interview to a TV channel from a jail
• Balkaur said he had been raising the issue for several months now. He questioned the Punjab Government as to why it had maintained silence on this matter till now

The petition, listed as public interest litigation, was placed before the Bench after suo motu notice was taken by a single Bench on mobile phone use within the jail premises by inmates and steps in place to curb the entry of such prohibited items.

Among other things, the single judge had questioned how the guards posted at watch towers were oblivious to articles being thrown across the boundary wall before being successfully retrieved by the inmates.

The single Bench had also questioned “how and when were the inmates rotated among the cells having TVs and the ones without such a provision”.

The issue of regularly frisking the inmates after every court hearing and physical mulakats was also raised.

Taking up the matter, the Bench observed it come to its notice that one of the suspects in Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu Moosewala’s case, Lawrence Bishnoi, was interviewed by a news channel. The interview was telecast from March 14 to 17.

The counsel for Punjab, upon instructions from the Inspector General (Prisons), submitted that the suspect was in judicial custody in the Bathinda jail when the interview was telecast and the matter was being inquired into regarding time and place when it was conducted. A two-member committee, comprising Special Director General of Police, STF, and the Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, had been constituted in March and the inquiry was underway.

“The committee had been constituted in March and seven months have lapsed, but not much headway has been made. The Additional Director General of Prisons shall file an affidavit as to why it has taken no long for the committee to submit its report,” the Bench observed.

Public interest plea

The petition, listed as public interest litigation, was placed before the Bench after suo motu notice was taken by a single Bench on mobile phone use within the jail premises by inmates and steps in place to curb the entry of such prohibited items.

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