Chandigarh, September 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
In a major relief to Punjab Police DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday set aside the order dismissing him from service in connection with the controversial interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi while he was in police custody.
Sandhu had been dismissed from service on January 2, 2025, after allegations surfaced regarding his role in facilitating an interview of Bishnoi while the gangster was lodged at the CIA police station in Kharar in March 2023.
The Punjab Government had invoked Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution to dismiss Sandhu without holding a regular departmental inquiry.
Sandhu challenged the action before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, contending that he had neither been served a chargesheet nor provided an opportunity to defend himself before the extreme penalty of dismissal was imposed.
He had also claimed that he was being made a scapegoat in the Lawrence Bishnoi interview controversy and pointed out that disciplinary proceedings against him were already underway when the dismissal order was issued on January 2, 2025.
The Punjab Government had decided to dismiss Sandhu on the ground that his alleged conduct in facilitating the interview had brought disrepute to the Punjab Police.
The Department of Home Affairs had issued the dismissal order after receiving the approval of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), the authority concerned in matters relating to officers of the Punjab Police Service cadre.
Sandhu subsequently approached the High Court challenging his dismissal, following which Justice Jagmohan Bansal had issued notice to the Punjab Government and other respondents on his petition.
The controversy relates to interviews of Lawrence Bishnoi that were conducted while the gangster was in police custody. The interview allegedly facilitated by Sandhu was stated to have been conducted at the CIA police station in Kharar in March 2023.
Bishnoi, one of the accused described as a key conspirator in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, faces more than 80 criminal cases involving allegations including murder and extortion.
The High Court's decision to set aside Sandhu's dismissal gives him significant relief in his challenge to the action taken by the Punjab Government.
Sandhu had earlier also received relief from the High Court in a separate case relating to allegations of corruption and extortion.