- By Niloo Ranjan
- Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:50 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Bishnoi charged by FBI for Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder.
- Extradition to US delayed by India-US treaty rules.
- US investigators may interrogate Bishnoi in Indian jail.
Niloo Ranjan, New Delhi: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi will remain in an Indian jail for the time being, despite recently being chargesheeted by the FBI for the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Under the terms of international extradition treaties, a criminal is only sent to a foreign nation for trial after completing their trial and serving their sentence in their home country. This process follows an established legal precedent: Tahawwur Rana, a co-accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, was only extradited to India by the United States after serving his sentence in America.
Lawrence Bishnoi To Remain In Indian Jail
According to a Jagran.com report citing highly placed sources, the United States has not yet filed a diplomatic request for the extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi. However, Washington is expected to do so in the near future following the FBI's recent chargesheet against him.
Even if the US initiates the request, an immediate handover is legally impossible under the terms of the 1997 India-US Extradition Treaty. Under this agreement, a criminal can only be extradited after completing their trial and serving their sentence in their home country, a provision that allows no exemptions.
With Bishnoi facing more than 80 murder and extortion cases pending in various courts, any potential handover to the US remains years away. Despite these significant legal delays, experts believe that bilateral cooperation will remain strong.
Anshu Joshi, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University's School of International Studies, stated that India is likely to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
What's Next?
Under this, US investigators could be granted permission to interrogate Lawrence Bishnoi directly inside an Indian prison. This process follows an established precedent set during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack investigation, when the US allowed an Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) team to record the statement of co-accused David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Rana. A similar arrangement could allow America to question Bishnoi in an Indian jail.
At the same time, several senior officials associated with the security agency have strongly rejected the allegation that Bishnoi is operating an international criminal gang, running extortion rackets, or ordering hits from behind bars.
While officials acknowledged that Bishnoi was involved in these activities while in Tihar Jail and various prisons in Punjab, they stated that he is currently kept in complete isolation and under 24-hour surveillance at Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail, making it impossible for him to maintain contact with his external network.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar Murder
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in Canada on June 18, 2023, while Bishnoi was sent to Sabarmati Jail later that year on August 18, 2023. Based on the timeline, a senior official stated that any alleged plot to murder Nijjar would have been orchestrated before his transfer to the Gujarat facility.
The official further noted that India itself is focused on dismantling networks of gangsters, criminals, and smugglers.