The Supreme Court has granted bail to Pawan Kumar Bishnoi and Jagtar Singh, the two accused in the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, Live Law reported.
The accused had challenged the Punjab and Haryana High Court's earlier refusal to grant them bail. The High Court had said that bail could not be considered until statements from eyewitnesses were recorded.
During the Supreme Court hearing, Advocate Abhay Kumar, representing Pawan Bishnoi, said that Pawan was wrongly linked to Lawrence Bishnoi because of the similarity in names.
He added that Pawan's involvement was based on a confession in another case, in which he has now been cleared. Kumar also said there was no evidence that Pawan supplied the vehicle used in the murder.
He said that the case had about 180 witnesses and that Pawan had already spent more than three and a half years in custody. Counsel for Jagtar Singh argued that Singh was only a neighbour and had no role in planning or helping with the murder.
After hearing both sides, the Supreme Court decided it was appropriate to grant bail to both Pawan Bishnoi and Jagtar Singh.
Sidhu Moosewala was a Punjabi singer, songwriter and rapper. He also entered politics, standing as a candidate in the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election.
On May 29, 2022, Moosewala was shot dead in Jawahar Ke village in Mansa district, Punjab. He was 28.
That afternoon, he was traveling in his SUV with a cousin and a friend. Gunmen blocked the vehicle and fired multiple shots, hitting Moosewala and injuring others. He was taken to a nearby hospital but was declared dead.
Punjab police linked the murder to a gang led by Lawrence Bishnoi, a crime figure already in jail, and his associates. A Canada‑based member of that group, Goldy Brar, claimed responsibility for the killing in public statements.
Investigators said that Moosewala's security cover had been reduced shortly before the attack, and on the day of the incident he was travelling in his own vehicle rather than a bullet‑proof car with full protection.
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