A retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge has exonerated IPS officer Vivek Sheel Soni, the then SSP Mohali, of charges of misconduct, negligence and dereliction of duty in connection with the much-publicised interviews of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi conducted while he was in police custody at CIA, Kharar.
The matter came to light on Wednesday when Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia tweeted about it, questioning the exoneration.
“Now IPS officer Vivek Sheel Soni, allegedly linked to facilitating that interview, gets exonerated by the Home Affairs department headed by Bhagwant Mann and backed by his bureaucratic allies," Majithia posted.
He further asked: “Is Punjab being governed for justice or for shielding those who compromised Punjab’s security and dignity?"
Majithia also questioned whether the exoneration was rubbing salt into the wounds of Sidhu Moosewala’s parents. Home department officials remained tight-lipped about the matter.
Justice Rajiv Narain Raina (Retd.), appointed as Inquiry Officer on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, submitted his report on December 31, 2025, recommending that Soni be fully exonerated and all disciplinary proceedings against him be dropped.
In his report, which came to light today, Justice Raina held that while a serious breach of custody safeguards had occurred at CIA Kharar on the intervening night of March 14, 2023, there was no evidence of Soni’s prior knowledge, connivance or wilful disregard.
He found it unsafe to hold the SSP accountable merely on the basis of his position as district head. Justice Raina also flagged serious procedural irregularities in the initiation of proceedings against Soni, including non-disclosure of the legal source of power, curtailment of response time, and non-supply of documents for defence.
The case relates to two interviews of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, telecast by a news channel on March 14 and 17, 2023.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter through a PIL. Two FIRs were registered at the Police Station, State Crime, Phase 4, SAS Nagar, and the court constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.
The SIT found that the interview telecast on March 14, 2023, was conducted when Bishnoi was in police custody at CIA, Kharar, while the second interview of March 17 was conducted from a Rajasthan jail.
The SIT report held that DSP Gursher Singh, the then DSP (D), by his connivance and personal presence at CIA Kharar, had facilitated the interview. Evidence of disproportionate assets was also found against him, following which an FIR dated June 20, 2025, was registered against DSP Gursher Singh and his mother, Sukhwant Kaur, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The Punjab government had suspended seven police officers, including two DSPs, and initiated disciplinary proceedings against nine officers, including then SSP Vivek Sheel Soni.
The government had initially appointed Justice Hasnain Shastri (Retd.) as inquiry officer, but later expressed willingness to reconsider the appointment before the High Court, following which Justice Raina was appointed.
