Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday asked the Punjab government to produce the underlying records that led to its decision to reject the parole plea of Amritpal Singh, the detained chief of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ organisation. The directive was issued by a Division Bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, after the State cited national security concerns to justify its stance.
During the hearing, senior advocate Anupam Gupta, representing the Punjab government, told the court that allowing Singh any form of public presence — even virtual — could have implications for “national survival and national defence,” alleging that his release or public address could inflame tensions.
The argument was prompted by a suggestion from Singh’s counsel R.S. Bains, who proposed that the jailed leader be permitted to participate in parliamentary proceedings via video conference. Bains said that such an arrangement would allow Singh to perform his parliamentary duties without physical release.
The Bench also sought clarity from the Lok Sabha Secretariat. Appearing on behalf of the Speaker, Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain stated that the parliamentary rulebook contains no provision that allows an MP to join House proceedings remotely.
Pressed by the court, Bains conceded the absence of such provisions but argued that legal frameworks evolve in response to exceptional circumstances, pointing to how courts had adopted virtual hearings during the pandemic.
Amritpal Singh has been held under the National Security Act (NSA) since March last year and is currently lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail, Assam. His petition challenges the State’s refusal to grant him parole, arguing that he is entitled to participate in parliamentary functions after being elected as an MP.
The court has directed Punjab to place the complete materials and intelligence inputs relied upon while denying parole. The matter is expected to come up again once the State submits the documents for judicial scrutiny.
