Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 2
Four days after singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today dismissed alleged gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s protection plea.
The direction by Justice Sureshwar Thakur came after Punjab submitted Bishnoi had not been made an accused in the case. As such, his plea was premature.
Bishnoi, among other things, was seeking directions to the state and other respondents to question/interrogate him through online mode/video conference facility or within the precincts of Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Expressing apprehension of elimination in a staged encounter by adopting extra-judicial means, Bishnoi through counsel Sangram Singh Saron and Shubreet Kaur submitted it came to his notice he was likely to be brought to Mansa in Punjab for investigation in connection with the case registered following the murder.
Bishnoi added he was apprehending severe threat to his life in case he was produced in connection with the investigation being conducted in the FIR. Saron submitted Bishnoi had been named in the FIR registered on May 29 only to cover up the inadequacies in the investigation.
Moreover, he was being made a scapegoat and was being erroneously held responsible. Even before the FIR was registered, the top police official of the Punjab Police virtually declared him responsible for the murder. He added the issue was “highly sensitive” as was related to the murder of a Punjabi singer.
High Court rejects Bishnoi’s plea for protection
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