NEW DELHI — In a significant legal development in the 2022 Sidhu Moosewala assassination case, the Supreme Court of India on Thursday, March 12, 2026, granted bail to two of the accused, Pawan Bishnoi and Jagtar Singh. The decision, delivered by a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, comes nearly four years after the high-profile murder that sent shockwaves through Punjab and the global music industry.
The petitioners had approached the apex court to challenge an August 1, 2025, order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had previously denied their bail pleas. In granting the relief, the Supreme Court highlighted the slow pace of the trial, noting that out of 180 enlisted prosecution witnesses, only one eye-witness had been partly examined to date.
Arguments and Allegations
Pawan Bishnoi was accused by the Punjab Police of providing logistical support—specifically the Bolero vehicle used in the crime—at the behest of Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar. Jagtar Singh, a neighbour of the slain singer, was alleged to have assisted in the reconnaissance (recce) of Moosewala’s residence in Mansa.
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Defence Argument: Counsel for Pawan Bishnoi, Abhay Kumar, argued that his client had been in custody for three years and ten months. He contended that simply sharing a surname with gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi did not prove a criminal link and that continuing incarceration during a significantly delayed trial was “highly prejudicial.”
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Prosecution Stance: The Punjab Government’s counsel strongly opposed the bail, citing evidence that Pawan had received 41 phone calls from co-accused individuals to arrange the getaway vehicle.
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Judicial Observation: During the hearing, the Bench raised sharp questions regarding the use of mobile phones within state prisons, asking the Punjab counsel, “How were mobile phones used in jail? Your jail authorities are also in conspiracy?”
Trial Delay Cited as Key Factor
The Supreme Court’s decision to grant bail was largely influenced by the realization that the trial could take many years to conclude at its current speed. While the Bench noted during the hearing—half-joking about the volatile nature of gang rivalries—that it might be for the accused’s “own safety” to remain in jail, they ultimately ruled that the right to a speedy trial outweighed the state’s objections.
Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead on May 29, 2022, just a day after his security cover was curtailed by the state government. While 20 of the 24 primary accused have been arrested, the mastermind, Goldy Brar, and three others remain at large outside India. This bail order marks one of the first major instances of accused individuals in this specific case being released pending trial, a move likely to spark intense discussion among the late singer’s family and followers in Punjab.
