Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh challenges Punjab govt's parole denial in high court, says order cryptic
PTC News Desk: A day after Punjab government denied granting parole to Amritpal Singh to attend winter session of Parliament, the Khadoor Sahib MP moved Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging government's rejection.
Amritpal Singh has challenged the Punjab government’s decision rejecting his request for temporary release/parole, saying the order passed on November 24 was unfair, unclear, and without proper reasons. He also mentioned the case of Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, who was earlier allowed by a Delhi court to attend Parliament.
A Division Bench led by Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra heard the request and scheduled the case for Monday. His lawyer told the court that the government had been ordered to decide the request within a week, but rejected it two days ago. The case will likely be heard by the Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu because that Bench had earlier directed the government on November 21 to decide the plea before the start of the Parliament session.
In his petition, Amritpal Singh claimed that his detention was politically motivated and aimed at silencing an elected MP who represents 19 lakh voters. He argued that keeping him jailed is against democratic rights and the will of the people. He said the government rejected his parole by citing reports from the Amritsar District Magistrate and Amritsar Rural SSP, who claimed his release would threaten state security and public order. His lawyer said this reasoning was not valid since Parliament is outside Punjab, so he would not even be in the state.
Amritpal Singh is currently held in Dibrugarh Central Jail under the National Security Act (NSA). He had also applied for parole under Section 15 of the NSA, which allows release in special situations.
His petition says he has been in preventive detention since April 2023, yet he was elected from Khadoor Sahib in 2024 with nearly 4 lakh votes.
- PTC NEWS
