Advocate Rajni, who has represented Lawrence Bishnoi since 2021, questions indictment by the US, says pending Indian trials preclude extradition before legal remedies conclude.
Advocate Rajni, who has represented Lawrence Bishnoi since 2021, speaks to The Sunday Guardian about the US Department of Justice’s indictment against the jailed gangster, why she believes his extradition is not legally feasible at present, the criminal cases pending against him in India, allegations that he continued to operate from prison, and her interactions with him and his family.
Q. The US Department of Justice has accused Lawrence Bishnoi of leading a violent global crime syndicate and announced it will seek his extradition. What is your response?
A. These are allegations. We have not yet received the complete documents. If, as per law, a formal accusation has been filed, the accused should be served with it. I don’t know what the law is in the US, but an accused certainly has the right to know and examine the allegations made against him.
Until we officially receive the documents, it would not be appropriate for me to comment. I watched their press conference yesterday, where they said they would seek his extradition. But practically speaking, it is neither that easy nor something that can happen quickly.
Q. Why do you believe Lawrence Bishnoi’s extradition is legally and practically not possible at this stage?
A. Extradition requires evidence and is ultimately a matter between governments. It is a diplomatic process. Our role is limited to seeking the relevant documents and pursuing whatever legal remedies are available to us.
Factually, extradition cannot happen at this stage because around 40 to 41 criminal trials against him are pending in India. These cases are before district courts in Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and Maharashtra. The trials must conclude there first.
Thereafter, we will exercise all legal remedies available under the law, including appeals before the High Courts and, if necessary, the Supreme Court. That entire process will take considerable time.
Until we receive official documents setting out the US allegations, a press release alone is not sufficient. At present, they have filed a formal accusation. These remain allegations, just as the pending cases in India are allegations until decided by the courts.
Q. Lawrence Bishnoi has been named in a large number of criminal cases. What is his legal position today?
A. Yes, he has been an accused in almost 80 cases. He has been acquitted in almost half of them.
Q. The US indictment alleges that while lodged in Sabarmati Prison since March 2015, Lawrence Bishnoi continued to operate through a mobile phone. His name has also surfaced in the Salman Khan residence firing case and the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, with responsibility allegedly claimed through what investigators say was his Facebook account. How do you respond?
A. For the sake of argument, I am willing to assume that responsibility was claimed in my client’s name. But first show me even one piece of evidence that he was operating a phone inside the prison.
Sabarmati Prison, like any high-risk ward across India, is under 24×7 CCTV surveillance.
Show me just five minutes of footage of him operating a phone. If you can show me that, I will even assume that during those five minutes he was using Facebook or Instagram.
I sought information through an RTI from the jail authorities regarding how many phones had been recovered from the high-risk ward. The jail authorities replied that no phone had been recovered from the high-risk ward. If no phone has ever been recovered, then which phone was he supposedly using?
Even if his associates outside were doing something, our law says criminal liability is personal. It cannot be transferred to someone else. The person who commits the act is the one who must be punished. If someone acts in Lawrence’s name, that does not mean Lawrence should be punished for it.
Q. Have you met Lawrence Bishnoi personally? How long have you represented him?
A. Yes. Legal meetings are always permitted, though they are not very frequent. I am based in Delhi and handle the cases of Lawrence, Anmol, his younger brother, and several other matters, so it is not possible to travel every week. Besides, meeting time is limited to around 25 to 30 minutes.
I have been representing him since 2021.
Q. The US documents describe Lawrence Bishnoi as presenting himself as patriotic and nationalist. In 2023, the Canadian government also alleged that he was acting on behalf of the Government of India in connection with the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. How do you respond?
A. If a person is patriotic and nationalist, then he simply is.
Take the Canadian allegations. It was alleged that he had the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar carried out in Canada. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a declared terrorist, wasn’t he?
For the sake of argument, even if I accept that allegation as true, how can someone who allegedly kills a declared terrorist be described as anti-national? Even on that assumption, how does that make him anti-national?
I have never received any indication from him that he was acting on behalf of the Government of India.
Q. Having represented Lawrence Bishnoi since 2021, what has your personal interaction with him been like? During your conversations with him, have you ever felt that he regrets the path his life has taken?
A. He is calm, humble, courteous, religious and has strong moral values.
He understands that legal processes take time. Unlike many other accused persons, he does not repeatedly ask why his bail has not been filed or why a case has been delayed.
He understands that judges may be on leave, prosecutors may be unavailable, documents may not have arrived, files may not have reached the court, witnesses may not appear, and lawyers also have practical limitations.
He has never admitted regretting anything. But I can anticipate that someone who was a brilliant child, an all-rounder and a good student, who left home to study in Chandigarh, must also have carried his parents’ dreams with him. Somewhere, there may be regret about where he ultimately ended up.
Q. You interact with Lawrence Bishnoi’s family. What do they tell you about him?
A. His parents are in Punjab and I do interact with them. They are like any other parents and remain concerned about his well-being.
As an advocate, we sometimes require documents such as an Aadhaar card or records relating to old cases. At times the police approach them regarding an earlier matter, and we need documents to establish that he has already been acquitted in that case. So we remain in touch with them.
Like any parents, they worry whenever news reports about him appear. They are not highly educated, but every parent is distressed on hearing such news about their child.
Q. Has Lawrence Bishnoi ever complained to you about assault or custodial violence?
A. No. I have never received any such complaint.
Q. You also represent Lawrence Bishnoi’s younger brother, Anmol Bishnoi. What is the status of the cases against him and by when do you expect the trial to complete in these cases?
A. He is lodged in Tihar Prison and faces multiple cases. They are still only allegations. Nothing has been proved yet.
It is impossible to say how long those trials will take because criminal cases in India take a very long time.
I do not have the exact number of cases because I have not been deeply involved in all of them. I am handling the Delhi case.
Apart from the NIA case, there are two more cases in Delhi.
He also has older cases in Rajasthan. His name has also surfaced in the Baba Siddique murder case in Maharashtra and in the Salman Khan residence firing case.
