High Court to hear petition of jailed Lok Sabha member Amritpal Singh tomorrow

Chandigarh, Nov 20 A day after jailed Waris Punjab De activist and Lok Sabha member Amritpal Singh moved a petition to seek his temporary release to attend the Winter Session of Parliament from December 1 to 19, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday listed the case for hearing on Friday.

Amritpal Singh, who won the Lok Sabha poll from the Khadoor Sahib constituency in Punjab, has been lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam since April 2023, after being arrested under the National Security Act (NSA).

In the High Court, Amritpal Singh’s counsel told the Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu that his earlier plea was disposed of with a liberty to forward a proper representation to Lok Sabha, which “has been made”.

The Bench questioned his counsel on the fate of the plea challenging his detention. “He has a NSA detention order against him, what happened to that case? Unless the detention is stayed, how can he join the Parliament?” the Chief Justice asked.

The 32-year-old Sikh radical Amritpal Singh, who claimed that he is inspired by slain Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, has been under detention in Assam since his arrest in April 2023, even as 9 of his other associates were brought back to Punjab this year.

In the plea in the High Court, Amritpal Singh has sought directions to the Union and state authorities to permit his release on parole, or arrange his personal attendance in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament.

Amritpal has invoked Section 15 of the NSA, which empowers the competent authority to grant parole to a detainee in exceptional circumstances.

In his plea, the radical leader has said that the Parliament is a constitutional body and being a member of the same and a representative of the people, he be allowed to participate in the proceedings of the House.

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