Lawrence Bishnoi Interview: Dismissed DSP Moves High Court, Says 'Made Scapegoat' By Punjab Government

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today (January 16) issued notice on a plea filed by dismissed Punjab DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu, whose services were terminated in connection with an FIR lodged for facilitating Lawrence Bishnoi interview from jail.Justice Jagmohan Bansal while issuing notice to Punjab Government and other authorities deferred the matter for February 20.Sandhu contended that he was not even named in the FIR and among all officers summoned by the SIT, he is being made a “scapegoat”.The plea states that the State has invoked the powers enshrined under the Article 311 (2) of the Constitution of India, and a perusal of Article 311 would reveal that dismissal or reduction in rank of person employed in civil capacity can only be done after conducting inquiry and giving reasonable opportunity of being heard.The SIT found that Lawrence Bishnoi's first interview "glorifying crime and criminals" was conducted when he was in CIA premises in Punjab's Kharar and the second interview was in a Jaipur jail.Since a former judge of the high court, Justice Rajiv Raina, who has been appointed as an enquiry officer to look into the interview in the premises of CIA Kharar, is yet to give any finding or report, Sandhu could not have been dismissed especially by invoking powers under the Article 311 (2) of the Constitution, it added further.The plea highlighted that the High Court had categorically directed that action should not be confined only to low-level officials but should extent to officials who had supervisory jurisdiction over the CIA staff including the then SSP and also other higher officials, however the Punjab government had made him a “scapegoat” in the entire incident while dismissing from his service, whereas no other official including the then SSP had been given any such a punishment. The High Court in a Suo Moto plea remarked that the Punjab Police Officers allowed Lawrence Bishnoi to use electronic device and provided a studio like facility to conduct the TV interview.The development came after the SIT constituted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court revealed that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's first interview "glorifying crime and criminals" was conducted when he was in CIA premises in Punjab's Kharar and the second interview was in a Jaipur jail.Advocates Bikramjit Singh Patwalia and Edward Augustine George for the petitioner.Title: Gursher Singh Sandhu v. State of Punjab and others

Lawrence Bishnoi Interview: Dismissed DSP Moves High Court, Says 'Made Scapegoat' By Punjab Government

Aiman J. Chishti

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