Chandigarh: The Punjab government has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking urgent permission to retain Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh in custody in Assam even after the expiry of his detention under the National Security Act.
The matter was taken up on Thursday after the State informed the court that Singh’s preventive detention is set to conclude on April 23. Citing security concerns and intelligence inputs, the government expressed its intention to arrest him immediately after his release and continue to keep him lodged at Dibrugarh Central Jail.
During the proceedings, the State’s counsel told the Bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu that the move was aimed at maintaining law and order. The counsel argued that the government preferred not to bring Singh back to Punjab and instead sought to conduct any legal proceedings through virtual means.
The State further informed the court that the Assam government has already granted its consent for the proposed move. It also pointed to provisions within the jail manual to justify the request for keeping the MP in custody outside Punjab.
Highlighting the urgency, the State said it plans to carry out the arrest in Assam before the current detention period ends. Taking note of the time-sensitive nature of the plea, the High Court agreed to list the matter for hearing the same day.
Amritpal Singh has been under preventive detention since April 2023 and remains lodged in Dibrugarh jail. With the end of his NSA detention approaching, the State’s latest plea aims to ensure that he continues to remain in custody under fresh legal grounds.
