The Punjab and Haryana Excessive Courtroom Wednesday stayed the additional proceedings earlier than the court docket of Judicial Justice of the Peace First Class (JMIC) at Mohali pertaining to the cancellation report filed by the Particular Investigation Staff within the interview case of Lawrence Bishnoi.
A division bench of Justices Anupinder Singh Grewal and Lapita Banerji, which is listening to the suo motu matter associated to the 2 TV interviews of Bishnoi aired on a personal information channel in March 2023, was notified {that a} cancellation report has been filed earlier than the JMIC, Mohali.
The bench noticed that it had appointed Prabodh Kumar, Particular Director Common of Police, Punjab State Human Rights Fee, as head of the SIT to conduct an investigation in FIR No.1, dated January 5, 2024, registered at Police Station State Crime, Punjab, Mohali.
“The SIT had filed a number of standing experiences earlier than this court docket on July 10, 2024, August 7, 2024, September 6, 2024, September 12, 2024 and October 15, 2024. The Head of the SIT had sought 3 months’ time to finish the investigation on July 10, 2024. The matter had come up for listening to on October 15, 2024 when the pinnacle of the SIT had filed an affidavit. Within the affidavit, a self-contained be aware indicating the misconduct, negligence and dereliction of responsibility by the involved officers had additionally been appended,” famous the Bench.
Nonetheless, on discovering that cancellation report has additionally been filed earlier than the Mohali court docket on October 9, 2024, the bench noticed, “It’s perplexing to notice that the mentioned report was not furnished to this court docket on October 15, 2024 when the matter had come up for listening to. The counsel for the state of Punjab has not been in a position to present any passable clarification with regard to the tearing hurry in submitting cancellation report earlier than JMIC, Mohali.”
On the state counsel praying for time to hunt essential directions on the problem, the bench directed the SIT head to “file a replica of the investigation report earlier than this court docket forthwith”.
A replica of the identical be additionally furnished to the Extra Solicitor Common of India, amicus curiae and counsel for the states of Punjab and Haryana, directed the HC.
Ordering to record the matter on October 28, the bench mentioned, “Within the meantime, we direct that additional proceedings earlier than the JMIC, Mohali be stayed.”
