The Punjab & Haryana High Court has asked the Punjab government to present all documents explaining why MP Amritpal Singh’s parole plea to attend the Winter Session of Parliament was rejected. The next hearing is set for December 8.
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CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Punjab government to produce all “foundational material” leading to the rejection of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s parole plea to attend the Winter Session of Parliament.
The direction came from a bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry on Monday while hearing Singh’s plea challenging the state’s decision to deny him temporary release.
Amritpal Singh, the 32-year-old chief of the Waris Punjab De group, is currently lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh Jail under the National Security Act (NSA). He had sought parole to discharge his parliamentary duties during the ongoing session.
Court Directs State to Submit Documents
Singh’s counsel, Imaan Singh Khara, confirmed that the High Court asked the Punjab government to submit documents detailing the reasons behind rejecting the MP’s parole application. The next hearing is scheduled for December 8, 2025.
Khara also highlighted precedent by citing Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, who was permitted to attend the Winter Session, emphasizing that Singh’s request was solely to perform his duties as a lawmaker.
The Punjab government opposed the parole, citing “grave risks” if the MP were allowed any platform, physical or virtual, during his detention.
Background
Amritpal Singh, a Khalistani sympathiser, was arrested on April 23, 2023, in Moga’s Rode village after evading police for over a month. Singh had initially escaped police surveillance in Jalandhar on March 18, 2023, using multiple vehicles and changing appearances.
The Punjab Police launched the crackdown following the February 23, 2023, Ajnala incident, during which Singh and his supporters, some armed with swords and guns, allegedly clashed with police while attempting to secure the release of his aides from the police station on the outskirts of Amritsar.
Singh contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate and won from the Khadoor Sahib constituency. His detention under the NSA was extended in April 2023, while nine of his associates, also detained in Assam, were brought back to Punjab in connection with the Ajnala Police Station attack.
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