diff --git a/dp/wifi3.0/dp_peer.c b/dp/wifi3.0/dp_peer.c
index 60c1d4b340..a54ae0ad98 100644
--- a/dp/wifi3.0/dp_peer.c
+++ b/dp/wifi3.0/dp_peer.c
@@ -1534,10 +1534,6 @@ static inline QDF_STATUS dp_peer_map_ast(struct dp_soc *soc,
 	if (soc->ast_offload_support && !wlan_cfg_get_dp_soc_dpdk_cfg(soc->ctrl_psoc))
 		return QDF_STATUS_SUCCESS;
 
-	if (!peer) {
-		return QDF_STATUS_E_INVAL;
-	}
-
 	dp_peer_err("%pK: peer %pK ID %d vid %d mac " QDF_MAC_ADDR_FMT,
 		    soc, peer, hw_peer_id, vdev_id,
 		    QDF_MAC_ADDR_REF(mac_addr));
@@ -1547,6 +1543,21 @@ static inline QDF_STATUS dp_peer_map_ast(struct dp_soc *soc,
 	ast_entry = dp_peer_ast_hash_find_by_vdevid(soc, mac_addr, vdev_id);
 
 	if (is_wds) {
+		/*
+		 * While processing peer map of AST entry if the next hop peer is
+		 * deleted free the AST entry as it is not attached to peer yet
+		 */
+		if (!peer) {
+			if (ast_entry)
+				dp_peer_free_ast_entry(soc, ast_entry);
+
+			qdf_spin_unlock_bh(&soc->ast_lock);
+
+			dp_peer_alert("Peer is NULL for WDS entry mac "
+				      QDF_MAC_ADDR_FMT " ",
+				      QDF_MAC_ADDR_REF(mac_addr));
+			return QDF_STATUS_E_INVAL;
+		}
 		/*
 		 * In certain cases like Auth attack on a repeater
 		 * can result in the number of ast_entries falling
@@ -1597,6 +1608,13 @@ static inline QDF_STATUS dp_peer_map_ast(struct dp_soc *soc,
 		}
 	}
 
+	if (!peer) {
+		qdf_spin_unlock_bh(&soc->ast_lock);
+		dp_peer_alert("Peer is NULL for mac " QDF_MAC_ADDR_FMT " ",
+			      QDF_MAC_ADDR_REF(mac_addr));
+		return QDF_STATUS_E_INVAL;
+	}
+
 	if (ast_entry) {
 		ast_entry->ast_idx = hw_peer_id;
 		soc->ast_table[hw_peer_id] = ast_entry;