Punjab & Haryana HC Orders Punjab DGP To Personally Supervise Lawyer’s Murder Probe

The High Court of Punjab and Haryana has recently directed the Director General of Police (DGP) of Punjab to personally oversee the investigation into the 2020 murder case of Hoshiarpur-based lawyer Bhagwant Kishore Gupta.

The court has instructed the DGP to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken by the investigating agency thus far.

During the hearing, the court noted that on the previous date of the hearing, it had specifically directed the state of Punjab to make every effort to apprehend the fugitive and provide an updated status report by the next hearing. The court adjourned the matter for two months, expecting a fair and impartial investigation to be conducted.

The state counsel requested additional time to file the latest status report, prompting the High Court to direct the DGP to personally oversee the matter and submit an affidavit outlining the steps taken by the investigating agency thus far. The next hearing is scheduled for July 14.

Lawyer Bhagwant Kishore Gupta and his associate lawyer Siya Khullar were found murdered in a burnt car on the Phagwara-Chandigarh bypass in 2020.

Justice N S Shekhawat issued these orders while hearing a plea filed by the deceased lawyer’s son, Sumanendra Gupta. The petitioner has sought directions to initiate the attachment of property belonging to the proclaimed offenders (POs) involved in the case.