High Court Rejects Petition By Sacked Punjab Cop Implicated In Lawrence Bishnoi Interview

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted major relief to dismissed Punjab Police DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu in the controversial Lawrence Bishnoi jail interview case, quashing the Punjab government's order that had dismissed him from service. Sandhu was dismissed by the state government on January 2, 2025, after being accused of serious dereliction of duty and gross indiscipline in connection with a televised media interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi conducted from police custody. The government had invoked Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution, a provision that allows dismissal without a full departmental inquiry when such an inquiry is deemed impracticable, to remove Sandhu from service with immediate effect.

The dismissal order, issued by the Department of Home Affairs following approval from the Punjab Public Service Commission, had alleged that Sandhu facilitated arrangements for the interview, causing serious damage to the image of the Punjab Police, and accused him of violating police conduct rules and failing to properly discharge his responsibilities. The government further alleged that Sandhu had not cooperated with the departmental inquiry, including failing to accept the chargesheet forwarded to him through the Commandant of the 9th Battalion, Punjab Armed Police, in Amritsar, ultimately requiring authorities to affix the notice to his residence.

The controversy dates back to September 2022, when Bishnoi, then in custody at the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) facility in Kharar, Mohali, was allowed to give an interview to a television channel; a second interview was later conducted while he was held in a Rajasthan jail. Both interviews, telecast in March 2023, drew significant public outrage over apparent security lapses and the misuse of custodial privileges, prompting the High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and order an inquiry. A Special Investigation Team headed by Special DGP Prabodh Kumar subsequently concluded that Sandhu had facilitated the interview conducted in Kharar, findings that formed the basis of the government's later dismissal order.

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Sandhu challenged his dismissal before the High Court, arguing that he had been made a scapegoat to shield the individuals actually responsible for the interview, and that the government had bypassed mandatory procedural safeguards under the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970, and the Punjab Police Rules, 1934. He contended he was not given access to the chargesheet or an adequate opportunity to respond to the allegations against him, in violation of the principles of natural justice. His plea also noted that the Special Investigation Team's broader inquiry into the interview had not yet concluded at the time his dismissal was ordered.

Sandhu had separately approached the Supreme Court challenging notices issued to him under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure in connection with the case, though he later withdrew that petition after the top court noted that a similar matter was already pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He also remains an accused in a separate 2024 corruption case registered by the State Crime Branch, in which a Mohali court has previously rejected his bail application. With the High Court's latest order quashing his dismissal, the broader legal proceedings connected to both the interview controversy and the separate corruption case are expected to continue.

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