This Order Prevents Mumbai Police From Arresting Lawrence Bishnoi

Despite his gang's acknowledgement of culpability for the April shooting outside the residence of superstar Salman Khan and the recent assassination of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, the Mumbai Police have been unable to secure custody of infamous criminal Lawrence Bishnoi, who is presently imprisoned in Gujarat. Reports indicate that after his expulsion in April, the Mumbai Police submitted many petitions for the custody of Bishnoi, who is presently incarcerated in Sabarmati jail; however, these pleas were declined due to a decision by the Home Ministry that barred his transfer.

Bishnoi was transferred from Tihar Jail in Delhi to Sabarmati Jail in August 2023 due to a drug smuggling case, and the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order under Section 268 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) prohibiting any state or agency from seeking his detention for one year. This clause grants the government the authority to restrict the mobility of detainees in circumstances that may threaten public safety.

The injunction, originally set to expire in August of this year, has reportedly been extended for an additional year. The Bishnoi gang garnered international attention following its admission of culpability for the assassination of Punjabi musician Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022. It subsequently asserted responsibility for the shooting that occurred outside Salman Khan's Bandra residence, Galaxy Apartments, in April.

The gang, presently under the leadership of Anmol Bishnoi, along with gangsters Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara, has articulated an intention to eliminate Salman Khan due to his purported participation in the shooting of blackbucks in Bawad, Mathania, near Jodhpur, in September 1998, during the filming of 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'. The purported conduct has distressed the Bishnoi community, which regards the blackbuck as sacrosanct.

In a 2018 court hearing, Lawrence Bishnoi asserted, "We will kill Salman Khan in Jodhpur. Everyone will know once we take action. I have not done anything as of now; they are accusing me of crimes for no reason." An incarcerated gang member has asserted that they were also responsible for the murder of Siddique on Saturday.