New Delhi, March 12 The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to two accused — Pawan Kumar Bishnoi and Jagtar Singh — in the 2022 murder case of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta granted relief to the accused while hearing their Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) challenging the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court refusing them bail.
Pawan Bishnoi is alleged to be part of a module that provided logistical support for the murder, including arranging the vehicle allegedly used in the crime.
His counsel argued before the apex court that the allegation against him was limited to providing a Bolero vehicle, adding that Bishnoi has been in custody for nearly four years and that the trial’s conclusion is likely to take considerable time.
On the other hand, the Punjab Police opposed the bail plea, contending that Bishnoi had allegedly received multiple calls from co-accused persons in connection with arranging the vehicle used in the murder.
The Supreme Court also granted bail to co-accused Jagtar Singh, who is alleged to have assisted in reconnaissance of Moosewala’s residence. His counsel argued that the cameras installed near the singer’s house were meant for the security of his own residence and not for conducting any surveillance related to the crime.
Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had rejected the bail pleas, observing that the seriousness of the allegations outweighed the prejudice caused by delay in trial.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had said that “it would be appropriate to await the recording of statement of eyewitnesses before the request for regular bail is considered, so as to make available a safe and secure atmosphere for the eyewitnesses to depose.”
Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead on May 29, 2022, in Punjab’s Mansa district, in a killing that sent shockwaves across the country and triggered a wide-ranging investigation into the involvement of organised criminal networks.
The Punjab Police have blamed Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar and his boss, Lawrence Bishnoi, who's now lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail, for the killing of Moose Wala.
Brar, a member of the Bishnoi gang, has been named in the 1,850-page police chargesheet filed in a Mansa court. It said Moose Wala's killing was carried out in retaliation for a youth Akali leader's murder.
The others who have been named in the chargesheet include the jailed gangsters Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Manmohan Mohana, Deepak Tinu, Sandeep Kekda, Ankit Sirsa, Priyavrat Fauji, Sachin Bhiwani, Keshav, Kashish, Manpreet Manu and Jagroop Roopa.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Anti-Gangster Task Force chief, Pramod Ban, is probing the killing of Moose Wala. Ban has said Bishnoi, the main conspirator, confessed to planning the execution in August 2021 to avenge the murder of the Akali Dal leader.
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