Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday asked the Punjab government to take an appropriate decision within one week on the parole plea filed by Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who is currently detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail.
Amritpal Singh has sought temporary release or suitable arrangements to attend the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament, scheduled from December 1 to 19. Hearing the petition, the court said the matter now lies with the state government and directed it to pass a reasoned order within the stipulated time.
In his plea, Amritpal argued that, as an elected representative, he must be allowed to participate in parliamentary proceedings or be presented in the House through appropriate security arrangements. During an earlier hearing on a similar plea, the Lok Sabha Secretariat had informed the court that a committee has been constituted to examine such requests from detained MPs.
At the outset, the Chief Justice questioned how Amritpal Singh could attend Parliament while his preventive detention under the NSA remains in force. His counsel responded that the relief sought pertains only to provisions available under Section 15 of the Act and does not challenge the detention itself.
Amritpal Singh has been lodged in Dibrugarh jail since April 2023 after his arrest under the NSA. His present appeal before the High Court focuses solely on securing limited parole to fulfil his parliamentary duties.
With the High Court’s directions, the next move is now in the hands of the Punjab government, which must decide within seven days whether the newly elected MP will be permitted to participate in the Winter Session.
