Security concern: Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi withdraws plea from Delhi HC
Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Jun, 2022 11:49 AM
New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, named as a suspect in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, on Wednesday withdrew from Delhi High Court his plea seeking protection amid apprehension of "fake encounter" by Punjab police for "political mileage".
The matter came up for hearing before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.
As the hearing began, Bishnoi's counsel Adv. Vishal Chopra sought liberty for withdrawal of the plea.
On the other hand, Advocate Sanjay Lao appearing for the Delhi Police, stated that the plea was not maintainable anyway.
Accordingly, the petition has been withdrawn.
Now, Bishnoi will approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court with the plea.
The gangster had moved the high court after a NIA court of Patiala House Court junked his plea on Monday. In the plea, he sought a direction to the Delhi Police and the Tihar Jail authorities to ensure all necessary security arrangements for him.
The petitioner sought the court's direction to Central Jail Authorities to give prior intimation to his counsels before his custody is given to any other state police on any production warrant. He should be duly handcuffed, shackled and video-graphed during the production warrant and on transit remand if any warrant is produced by the Punjab police for the safety of his life, the plea stated.
The Punjab police has alleged that Bishnoi was involved in the murder of Sidhu Moosewala.
The accused is entitled to a fair and true investigation and a fair trial and the prosecution is expected to play a balanced role in the trial of a crime. The investigation should be judicious, fair, transparent and expeditious and the investigating authority should ensure the safety of any accused person, his plea said.
"Fair trial includes fair investigation as envisaged by Articles 20 and 21 of the Constitution of India. The role of the police is to be for the protection of life, liberty and property of citizens, that investigation of offences being one of its foremost duties. That the aim of the investigation is ultimately to search for truth and to bring the offender to book," the plea read.
Currently lodged in Tihar jail in a MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) case, Bishnoi is allegedly involved in more than five dozen criminal cases lodged against him in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. He had once threatened to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
As per reports, Goldy Brar, a Canada-based gangster and Lawrence Bishnoi have claimed responsibility for the murder of Moosewala. Singer-turned-actor-politician Sidhu Moosewala, 29, was shot dead by gangsters close to his ancestral village in Mansa in Punjab in broad daylight on Sunday.
The killing of the rapper has sparked a huge political controversy and the Punjab Government is at the receiving end.
The accused, identified as Ashish Kumar, tied his wife Ranjan Devi and son Vaibhav to the bed and set them on fire at his house in Mayurwa locality, which comes under the Triveniganj police station.
Nearly 100 students and resident doctors of the Government Medical College in Patiala in Punjab have tested positive for Covid-19, officials said on Tuesday. A retirement party and New Year Eve's party held on the college campus without following appropriate Covid-19 behaviour is blamed for alarming spike in the cases.
With 192 new cases of highly transmissible Covid variant Omicron detected in the last 24 hours, India's Omicron tally on Tuesday rose to 1,892 cases. Maharashtra and Delhi continue to be the worst-hit states with this new variant.
Badal in a statement here listed five major issues on which he said a prime ministerial package would lend credence and respectability to Modi's visit to Punjab on January 5. The former CM also drew the PM's attention to thousands of Sikh families awaiting justice for the massacre of 1984.
Addressing a gathering of Anganwadi workers in Morinda town, the Chief Minister declared that from now onwards the monthly emoluments of the Anganwadi workers stand increased from Rs 8,100 to Rs 9,500, mini-Anganwadi workers from Rs 5,300 to Rs 6,300 and helpers from Rs 4,050 to Rs 5,100.
Amid a surge in Coronavirus cases, the Delhi government on Tuesday decided to impose a weekend curfew from January 8. During weekdays, the metros and buses will run at full seating capacity with strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines.
