Lawrence Bishnoi acquitted in extortion case

A local court today acquitted jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in a four-year-old case of alleged extortion and criminal intimidation, granting him the benefit of doubt. The case, registered in July 2021 under Sections 387, 506 and 120-B of the IPC, was based on a complaint by a Kotkapura-based cloth shop owner, who claimed that gangster Goldy Brar had demanded Rs 50 lakh from him.

Bishnoi, currently lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail, was produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC) through video-conferencing. The court observed that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement beyond a reasonable doubt.

Notably, the complainant retracted his earlier statement, stating that he did not know Bishnoi and that the police had obtained his signatures on blank papers. Additionally, a Sub-Inspector, a key witness, was also declared “turned hostile” at the prosecution’s request.

The court noted that the two police witnesses were merely formal witnesses, whose testimonies did not strengthen the prosecution’s case. As a result, Bishnoi was acquitted. However, proceedings against Goldy Brar, alias Satinderjit Singh, would continue once he was arrested or he surrendered. Brar remains at large in the case.

Following the extortion complaint, an FIR was registered against both Bishnoi and Brar.