Moosewala murder: HC rejects Bishnoi’s plea on Punjab police custody
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday dismissed a petition of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who was seeking appropriate directions for not handing over his custody to the Punjab police in the singer Sidhu Moosewala murder case.
Bishnoi, who is suspected to be involved in Moosewala’s killing, had moved this high court Wednesday after withdrawing his plea from the Delhi high court in which he said he feared he would be killed in a “fake encounter” by the Punjab police, and sought necessary safeguards.As Bishnoi’s petition came up for hearing in the court of Justice Sureshwar Thakur on Thursday, Punjab Advocate General Anmol Rattan Sidhu argued that the plea should be dismissed as premature.
“We raised the point that this is not maintainable and this is premature and accordingly it is to be dismissed,” he told reporters here.The petition was dismissed as premature and not maintainable, he added. Sidhu said Bishnoi has yet not been named in the FIR registered in connection with the Moosewala murder case.The Punjab AG further said Bishnoi is already under police custody till June 5 as ordered by the Delhi Metropolitan Magistrate.
In his petition submitted through advocates Sangram Saraon and Shubpreet Kaur, Bishnoi had sought directions that the judicial magistrate in Mansa, Punjab, be restrained from handing over his custody to the investigating agency in Punjab.The petitioner had sought issuance of appropriate directions for questioning him through online/video conference facility or within the precincts of Tihar jail, New Delhi.