- Punjab and Haryana High Court quashes dismissal of Punjab Police DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu
- Sandhu was dismissed for alleged dereliction in Lawrence Bishnoi jail interview case
- Government invoked Article 311 for immediate dismissal citing damage to police image
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 orders dismissing him from service.
Sandhu was dismissed by the Punjab government on January 2, 2025, after being accused of serious dereliction of duty and gross indiscipline in connection with the media interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi from police custody. The government had invoked Article 311 of the Constitution to dismiss Sandhu with immediate effect. The dismissal order alleged that he had facilitated arrangements for the interview, causing serious damage to the image of the Punjab Police. It also accused him of violating police conduct rules and failing to discharge his responsibilities properly.
The government had further alleged that Sandhu did not cooperate with the departmental inquiry, including efforts to serve him the chargesheet and involve him in the investigation.
Action Followed Special Probe
The case stems from two televised interviews of Lawrence Bishnoi. According to the SIT findings cited in the case, the first interview was conducted during the night of September 2-3, 2022, at the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) office located inside the Kharar police station in Mohali. The SIT report recorded details of the device used for the interview, as well as the identities of those present at the time.
The report named DSP Sandhu and five other police personnel from his team as being present while Lawrence was in their security custody. The interview was allegedly facilitated using the internet connection of a government data dongle.
The second interview was conducted at Jaipur Central Jail in Rajasthan on January 2, 2025, according to the investigation.
The Punjab government had treated Sandhu's alleged role in facilitating the first interview as a serious breach of discipline and responsibility, ultimately leading to his dismissal.
The court's decision to quash the government's dismissal orders now provides significant relief to Sandhu and puts the legality of the disciplinary action under scrutiny.
