Chandigarh: Lok Sabha MP Amritpal Singh, currently detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking interim bail to attend the upcoming winter session of Parliament scheduled from December 1 to 19.
The petition, filed through advocate Iman Singh Khara, invokes Section 15 of the NSA, which permits parole under certain special circumstances. It highlights that despite being in preventive detention since April 2023, Amritpal Singh won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Khadoor Sahib constituency with a significant margin of nearly 400,000 votes, representing nearly 1.9 million voters.
The plea requests directions to the central and state governments to grant him parole or facilitate his physical presence during the Parliament session.
According to the petition, a third detention order was issued against Amritpal Singh on April 17, 2024, while he was in Dibrugarh Central Jail. Following this, the Advisory Board upheld grounds for his continued detention, leading to an extension on June 24.
Despite applying for parole on November 13, no decision has been communicated so far.
Arguing that attending Parliament is a constitutional duty, the petition urges the court to expedite the hearing and grant relief considering the special circumstances.
This legal development puts the spotlight on balancing national security concerns with the democratic right and responsibility of elected representatives to participate in parliamentary proceedings.
