‘How Reporter Entered Jail?’ Asks Supreme Court; Ex-Punjab DSP Withdraws Plea
In a plea filed by dismissed Punjab DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu against issuance of Section 41A CrPC notices, the Supreme Court today questioned how the ABP reporter, who conducted the interview of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi (accused in singer Sidhu Moosewala murder case), got inside the Punjab jail.
A bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh heard the matter and dismissed it as withdrawn, noting that similar petition filed by Sandhu before the Punjab and Haryana high Court is listed for hearing on July 3.
Briefly put, Sandhu filed a petition before the High Court seeking inter-alia quashing of Section 41A CrPC notices issued to him and direction for no further coercive action. On June 4, the High Court passed an interim order calling for evidence supporting Sandhu’s transposition as an accused in the FIR lodged over Bishnoi’s interview from Kharar’s CIA facility, in a sealed cover.
In this order, the High Court noted that the General Diary entry nominating Sandhu as an accused did not mention the reasons for the same. Thereafter, the ex-DSP approached the Supreme Court.
Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhri appeared for Sandhu and submitted that while the matter is pending before the High Court, the former DSP has been rendered vulnerable as he is being issued Section 41A CrPC notices for appearance. “The predicament is they are saying [Section] 41 A is violated now…” Chaudhri said.
The senior counsel further contended that Sandhu did not have access to Bishnoi at the relevant time and the person who conducted the interview has been given interim protection by the Supreme Court. “There is a stay order prevailing…no coercive steps…”, he said.
In response, Justice Viswanathan said, “they are the press…[…] in-charge on the previous night, you were there…how did they get into the prison to hold the interview? You just appear in the High Court”.
Ultimately, as the main petition is coming up before the High Court on July 3, the case was withdrawn. When Chaudhri urged that it may be left upon the High Court to decide interim/final relief, the bench added in the order, “questions are left open to be considered by the High Court”.
Background
In March, 2023, two interviews given by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, while he was in custody, were aired by ABP Sanjha News Channel.
In November, 2023, the Punjab and Haryana High Court took suo motu cognizance against usage of phones inside jail premises by inmates, taking note of Bishnoi’s interview.
In August, 2024, an SIT constituted to conduct a probe into Bishnoi’s interviews revealed that the first interview “glorifying crime and criminals” was conducted on the intervening night of 3-4 September, 2022 when he was in Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) premises in Punjab’s Kharar and the second interview was from a Rajasthan jail.
In November, 2024, the High Court asked the Punjab government to take strict action against the delinquent officer(s) of state police who helped the jailed gangster in giving the interview. It further called on the state government to consider reinstating the head constables and constables who were suspended in the matter and to ensure that lower level officers were not made scapegoat.
The High Court also remarked that the Punjab Police Officers allowed Bishnoi to use electronic device and provided a studio like facility to conduct the interview.
Pursuant to the findings of the SIT, the Punjab government suspended from service 7 officers, including Sandhu.
In January this year, Sandhu approached the High Court with a petition challenging his dismissal from service, on which notice was issued. It is his case that he was not named in the FIR (lodged over the Punjab jail interview) and among all officers summoned by the SIT, he was being made a “scapegoat”.
Case Title: GURSHER SINGH SANDHU Versus STATE OF PUNJAB AND ANR., SLP(Crl) No. 9140/2025
