Supreme Court Grants Bail to Two Accused in Sidhu Moose Wala Murder Case
NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to two accused in the 2022 murder case of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, allowing Pawan Kumar Bishnoi and Jagtar Singh to be released while the trial continues.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta granted the relief while hearing Special Leave Petitions filed by the two men challenging an earlier decision by the Punjab and Haryana High Court denying them bail.
Pawan Bishnoi is accused of being part of a group that allegedly provided logistical support for the killing, including arranging the vehicle said to have been used in the crime.
His counsel told the court that the allegation against him was limited to providing a Bolero vehicle and noted that Bishnoi has been in custody for nearly four years. The defense also argued that the trial is expected to take significant time to conclude.
Punjab Police opposed the bail request, arguing that Bishnoi had allegedly received several calls from co-accused individuals related to arranging the vehicle used in the attack.
The Supreme Court also granted bail to co-accused Jagtar Singh, who is accused of assisting in reconnaissance near Moose Wala’s residence. His lawyer argued that cameras installed near the singer’s home were intended for the security of his own residence and were not used for surveillance connected to the crime.
Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had rejected bail pleas from the accused, stating that the seriousness of the allegations outweighed concerns about delays in the trial.
The high court had observed 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.”
Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead on May 29, 2022, in Punjab’s Mansa district in a killing that shocked the country and led to a large-scale investigation into the role of organized criminal networks.
Punjab Police have blamed Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, for orchestrating the killing.
Brar, a member of the Bishnoi gang, was named in a police chargesheet filed in a Mansa court that runs more than 1,800 pages. Investigators said Moose Wala’s killing was carried out in retaliation for the murder of a youth Akali leader.
Others named in the chargesheet include jailed gangsters Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria along with Manmohan Mohana, Deepak Tinu, Sandeep Kekda, Ankit Sirsa, Priyavrat Fauji, Sachin Bhiwani, Keshav, Kashish, Manpreet Manu and Jagroop Roopa.
The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team led by Pramod Ban, chief of the Anti-Gangster Task Force. Ban has said that Lawrence Bishnoi, the alleged main conspirator, confessed to planning the killing in August 2021 to avenge the earlier murder of the Akali Dal leader. (Source: IANS)
