Today, On 21st November, The Punjab and Haryana High Court told the State to quickly decide MP Amritpal Singh’s request to attend the coming Winter Session of Parliament. Singh, detained under the NSA since 2023, was still elected there while in custody.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Punjab government on Friday to decide on Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh’s request for permission to attend the upcoming winter session of Parliament in December.
Singh, the MP for the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, is currently under preventive detention in Dibrugarh, Assam, where he has been held under the National Security Act (NSA) since April 2023, following orders from the District Magistrate of Amritsar.
Notably, he was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2024 General Elections while still in detention, receiving over 400,000 votes.
He faces allegations of supporting “Khalistani separatism,” which has been deemed a threat to state security and public order. His detention grounds claim he conspired with anti-national elements, gangsters, and terrorists to harm specific individuals.
During the hearing, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry instructed the State Home Secretary to treat Singh’s request to attend Parliament as an application under the NSA.
The Court stated,
“The present petition stands disposed of with the direction to [State of Punjab] to decide the application dated 13.11.2025 within a period of one week, preferably before the commencement of the winter session of the Parliament and communicate the order to the petitioner,”
While considering Singh’s application, the Court inquired about his preparations for participating in the Lok Sabha.
Chief Justice Nagu posed questions regarding his research and what items he planned to discuss, emphasizing the importance of his duties as an MP.
Singh’s counsel responded,
“No, he was very vocal when he was free, that is why he was detained.”
In his petition, Singh argued that he aims to represent the concerns of his constituents in Parliament. Senior Advocate RS Bains, representing Singh, stated that he has applied for temporary release under Section 15 of the NSA, but no decision has been made yet.
When asked about Singh’s readiness for the winter session, Bains mentioned he had no instructions since Singh is being held far away. He also referred to the case of Baramulla MP Engineer Sheikh Rashid, who was permitted to attend Parliament while in custody following court orders in Delhi.
In response, Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain noted that only the competent authority in the state could grant permission for Singh’s attendance at Parliament. Bains added that they had reached out to all relevant authorities, including the District Magistrate and the state government, for temporary release.
A counsel for the Punjab government argued that Singh had only submitted a representation and not a formal application.
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However, the Court questioned whether a specific application format existed, and the State government counsel conceded that none was required. The Court observed that the state could treat the representation as an application and request additional documentation if necessary, leading to the plea being disposed of.
The Supreme Court had recently declined to entertain a similar plea from Singh, advising him to approach the High Court instead. His challenge against the validity of the NSA is still pending before the High Court.