The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab government to consider appointing former High Court judge Justice Rajiv Narain Raina as the inquiry officer to investigate the role of delinquent senior Punjab Police officials in facilitating gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s interview. The division bench of the High Court has been hearing a suo motu matter concerning two TV interviews of Bishnoi aired on a private news channel in March 2023 and the use of mobile phones in prisons. In October, the court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Special DGP Prabodh Kumar to probe allegations of criminal conspiracy, abetment, forgery, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IT Act in connection with the interviews. During a previous hearing, Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh cited the SIT report, which pointed to the connivance of certain police officers in facilitating the interview. The report also recommended the dismissal of DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu in the matter. When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, the Advocate General filed an affidavit from the Secretary, Department of Home Affairs, stating that although an inquiry officer had been appointed, the government was willing to reconsider the matter. The Advocate General submitted a panel of retired judges to the court in a sealed cover. After reviewing the material in the sealed cover, the division bench of Justices Anupinder Singh Grewal and Lapita Banerji directed, “The government shall consider appointing Justice Rajiv Narain Raina, former judge of this court, as the inquiry officer.” The bench further ordered, “He shall be provided adequate security and infrastructure by the state government. The competent authority may pass necessary orders in this regard expeditiously. Needless to mention, the inquiry officer would be suitably remunerated.” Meanwhile, the court also appointed senior advocate Rakesh Kumar Nehra as amicus curiae to assist in the matter. The case is scheduled to be heard next on January 16, 2025, with the SIT directed to submit its status report on that date.
