New Delhi: A retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has given major relief to IPS officer Vivek Sheel Soni by clearing him of allegations of negligence, misconduct and dereliction of duty in connection with the controversial interviews of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi allegedly conducted while he was in police custody at CIA Kharar.
The matter surfaced publicly on Wednesday after Bikram Singh Majithia questioned the clean chit through a social media post.
Majithia alleged that the Punjab government under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had protected the IPS officer accused of facilitating the interviews. He also questioned whether the state government was working to deliver justice or shield those who allegedly compromised Punjab’s security and dignity.
The Shiromani Akali Dal leader further claimed that the move amounted to rubbing salt into the wounds of slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s family.
Officials of the Punjab home department have not issued any statement on the matter so far.
The inquiry was conducted by retired Justice Rajiv Narain Raina, who was appointed as inquiry officer on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Raina submitted his report on December 31, 2025, recommending that Vivek Sheel Soni be completely exonerated and all disciplinary proceedings against him be dropped.
In the report, which has now surfaced publicly, Justice Raina acknowledged that there had been serious lapses in custodial security arrangements at CIA Kharar on the night of March 14, 2023. However, he stated that no evidence was found to prove that Soni had prior knowledge of the incident, was involved in it, or had deliberately ignored it.
The report also observed that merely being the district police chief could not automatically make the SSP responsible for the incident.
Justice Raina further pointed out procedural irregularities in the disciplinary action initiated against Soni, including failure to clearly specify legal violations, inadequate time provided for response, and non-supply of essential documents required for his defence.
The controversy relates to two interviews of Lawrence Bishnoi that were aired by a news channel on March 14 and March 17, 2023, while the gangster was allegedly lodged in police custody.
