The Punjab and Haryana High Court has allowed MP Amritpal Singh to attend court hearings virtually from Dibrugarh jail citing serious law and order concerns. The decision comes as his NSA detention nears its end, with authorities warning that his physical presence in Punjab could trigger unrest.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has allowed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh to appear virtually before a trial court in Amritsar in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station attack case. The Court passed this interim order while hearing a plea filed by the Punjab government, which raised serious security concerns about his physical production in Punjab after the end of his detention under the National Security Act.
Amritpal Singh is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam under preventive detention since April 2023. His detention, which was extended in April 2025, is set to end on April 22, and the state has decided not to extend it further. However, the Punjab government has expressed apprehension that bringing him physically to Amritsar for trial could lead to a serious law and order situation across the state.
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A division bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu observed that the situation warrants special measures. The Court noted,
“there are sufficient reasons for the court to be satisfied that exceptional circumstances of proximate danger of breach of public order exist, in case the respondent physically attends the trial court proceedings in Amritsar.”
Amritpal Singh, who heads the group Waris Punjab De, was arrested on April 23, 2023, from Rode village in Moga after a prolonged manhunt. He rose to prominence after the February 23, 2023 Ajnala incident, where he and his supporters allegedly stormed a police station, broke barricades, and clashed with police officials to secure the release of his associates.
Despite being in custody, Amritpal contested and won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from Khadoor Sahib, which further added to the sensitivity of his case.
In its plea, the Punjab government informed the High Court that it intends to re-arrest Amritpal after his NSA detention ends and keep him in Dibrugarh jail, citing intelligence inputs and potential threats to public order.
The Court, in its interim order dated April 17, allowed the trial court in Amritsar to conduct all proceedings through virtual mode.
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It stated,
“the Amritsar trial court is permitted to virtually conduct all proceedings concerning remand (police as well as judicial) in the said case to enable respondent No. 3 (Amritpal) to defend himself.”
The Court also ensured that Amritpal’s legal rights are protected during virtual proceedings. It directed that,
“as assured by the learned counsel for the state of Assam, the state shall ensure that respondent No.3 can seek legal assistance/advice/aid from his chosen attorney or from the legal aid panel, as the case may be, through virtual mode from the Dibrugarh jail for preparing his defence during pre and post-trial hearings conducted by the trial court in Amritsar.”
Explaining the purpose behind this arrangement, the Court further said,
“the aforesaid order has been passed to prevent a possible breach of public order by making arrangements for respondent No. 3 to virtually appear in pre and post-trial proceedings triggered by FIR No. 39 dated 24.02.2023 to be conducted by the trial court in Amritsar.”
The Punjab government’s counsel argued that once Amritpal’s preventive detention ends on April 22, his physical production in court could create serious unrest. The counsel submitted that in such a situation, maintaining law and order across Amritsar and the entire state would become extremely difficult.
The state also pointed out that the High Court had earlier upheld his preventive detention order dated April 17, 2025. It further argued that virtual hearings are legally valid and especially suitable in cases involving exceptional circumstances like this one.
According to the plea filed by the Senior Superintendent of Police (Amritsar Rural), the state has requested the Court to allow Amritpal to remain confined in Dibrugarh jail even after his arrest and to permit police authorities to carry out investigations at a designated location within the jail premises.
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The plea also requested that the entire judicial process—from arrest, remand, to filing of the chargesheet—be conducted through video conferencing to avoid any risk to public safety while ensuring that the accused gets a fair opportunity to defend himself.
This order highlights how courts are increasingly using virtual proceedings as a practical solution in sensitive cases where security and public order concerns are involved, while still balancing the fundamental rights of the accused.
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