'Punjab taking care of it', SC junks plea seeking CBI probe in Sidhu Moosewala murder

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea by Punjab BJP leader Jagjit Singh seeking CBI probe into the cold-blooded murder of famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

A bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Abhay Oka said the case should not be given a political colour and Punjab is supposed to take care of it and they are taking care of the matter.

Advocate Namit Saxena, representing Singh, said his client wanted a CBI probe, but Punjab Police is taking appropriate steps. "So, we don't want a central agency probe any longer. We are not pressing it...," submitted Saxena.

The bench emphasized that such matters should not be connected with politics. "This court has to work openly for all the people. But it should not be given any political colour," said the bench, while dismissing the plea. Saxena said, "Yes we are not pressing for it further. If they were not taking steps, I would have pressed for it."

During the brief hearing, the bench asked Saxena, "Who are you?" Saxena replied he is representing the petitioner, who is a BJP member.

The bench said, "My view is that politicians should not get into such matters, other arenas it is fine...."

The plea was filed through advocate on record, Namit Saxena and advocates Sarthak Chaturvedi and Shubham Jaiswal.

The plea submitted that there is a storm of fear and terror in Punjab, which warrants interference by the Supreme Court as fundamental rights of entire population of Punjab have been jeopardised at large.

Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known by his stage name 'Sidhu Moosewala' was shot dead in broad daylight on May 29 by unknown assailants.

The plea said he was a young artist of just 28 years of age, who became globally famous by performing a niche art of Punjabi rap. "The brutal murder of Sidhu Moosewala is a glaring example where the conscience of the community at large has been shocked and the people of Punjab are confident that no effective investigation will be done by the state, rather it will try to cover up its failure by removing the security cover and the incident deserves to be investigated by a central agency," said the plea.

The plea said on the next day of the murder, names of international gangsters such as Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar started coming into play when they took the responsibility of killing the deceased. "That also the present facts of the case involve not only inter-state but also international crime syndicates and it is expedient in the interests of justice if the investigation related to the present FIR is transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation," added the plea.