3 min readNew DelhiMar 13, 2026 01:09 AM IST
THE SUPREME Court on Thursday granted bail to Pawan Bishnoi and Jagtar Singh, accused in the May 29, 2022 case of killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta granted the relief on their appeal challenging the August 1, 2025, order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court denying them bail.
“Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the material placed on record. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the period of incarceration undergone by the petitioner(s) (Pawan Kumar Bishnoi and Jagtar Singh), i.e. since 11.06.2022 and 13.10.2022 respectively, we are inclined to grant bail to the petitioner(s).” the court said. “Accordingly, in the facts and circumstances of the case, we direct that the petitioner(s) herein be released on bail on such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the Trial Court in connection with FIR… dated 29.05.2022, registered at Police Station City-1, Mansa, Punjab.”
The order said, “It goes without saying that the petitioner(s) shall extend all cooperation during the trial. In the event the Trial Court or the state finds that the petitioner(s) are delaying the conclusion of trial, it will be open for them to approach this Court for recall of this order.”
Moosewala, 28, was shot dead near Mansa while he was driving his SUV in Jawahar Ke village in Mansa district with two others, and was declared brought dead at the Mansa Civil Hospital.
On May 26, just days before the murder, the Punjab government as part of a security pruning exercise had halved Moosewala’s security cover from four to two, ostensibly to augment police force for Ghallughara Diwas (marked to protest Operation Blue Star). The state police had ordered the pruning of security for 424 people, including MLAs, religious leaders, dera heads and retired police officers.
The state police had claimed that it was a case of inter-gang rivalry, with Canada-based Goldy Brar, an aide of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, taking responsibility for the shooting.
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Advocate Abhay Kumar, who appeared for Pawan, said except for the similarity in the second name, he had nothing to do with Lawrence Bishnoi.
He contended that Pawan was made an accused based on his confession statement in another case in which he was subsequently discharged and that there was no proof to back the prosecution version that he had provided the vehicle used in the crime.
Rejecting their bail pleas, the HC had said, “Looking to the seriousness of the offence, the prejudice, if any, caused to the petitioners on account of delayed trial gets outweighed by the gravity of the offences and, therefore, it would be appropriate to await the recording of statement of eye-witnesses before the request for regular bail is considered, so as to make available a safe and secure atmosphere for the eye-witnesses to depose.”
The HC said their “applications for the time being stand dismissed”.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
