The Centre has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that 54 days of leave has been granted to MP Amritpal Singh from Khadoor Sahib. This information was placed before a division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumit Goel at a time when the Lok Sabha Speaker had recently constituted a 15-member committee to examine the leave applications of MPs including Amritpal Singh.
As soon as the matter came up for hearing again, Additional Solicitor-General of India Satya Pal Jain, along with advocate Dheeraj Jain, placed before the bench a letter issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on March 11. In this letter, a leave of absence of 54 days was granted from June 24, 2024 to July 2, 2024, and from July 22, 2024 to August 9, 2024, and then from November 25, 2024 to December 20, 2024. Taking cognizance of the letter, the bench asserted, “As far as the petitioner’s apprehension of being expelled from Parliament due to his absence is concerned, his concerns are allayed by the letter of March 11.”
Referring to the petitioner’s second plea seeking permission to meet the MPs and ministers in the Local Area Development Scheme to address local development projects, the bench said that since parliamentary sessions are conducted under the rules, it would be appropriate for the petitioner to prefer to present his case before the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.”
Amritpal Singh, MP from Khadoor Sahib and head of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ organisation, is lodged in Dibrugarh Jail in Assam under the National Security Act (NSA). Amritpal Singh had sought permission to attend the parliamentary session in a petition filed through senior advocate R.S. Bains. The petitioner had argued that his continuous absence from Parliament was a violation of his constitutional rights. Amritpal said that if he remains absent from Parliament for 60 consecutive days, his seat may be declared vacant, which will directly affect the 19 lakh voters of his parliamentary constituency Khadoor Sahib.
Amritpal Singh said that he had sought formal permission from the Lok Sabha Speaker on November 30 last year to attend the parliamentary session. Amritpal was told that he had already been absent from parliamentary sessions for 46 days. Despite making requests to the Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate, Amritpal did not get any response, due to which he had to seek judicial intervention.
On the other hand, the court here rejected the petition of Engineer Rashid, a Lok Sabha member from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, who is in jail, seeking custodial parole to attend the next parliamentary session. Additional Sessions Judge Chandrajit Singh dismissed the application and fixed March 19 for the decision on Rashid’s bail plea. On March 3, the court had asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a response on the plea. After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its decision.
Background of Amritpal Singh
Amritpal Singh is the head of the Waris Punjab organization, he states that his goal is to achieve an autonomous state (Khalistan) for Sikhs. After living in Dubai for many years, he returned to Punjab in August 2022 and started recruiting youth in the name of Amrit Sanchar and the drug de-addiction movement. Amritpal Singh was made the new head of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ organization formed by the late Sandeep Singh alias Deep Sidhu.
Amritpal Singh’s turbaning as the head of ‘Waras Punjab’ was done on 29 September 2022 on the occasion of the first anniversary of the organization. In fact, this day was also the birthday of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the former head of Damdami Taksal.
But he got into controversies due to his heated speeches and the burning of benches in gurdwaras and the violence in front of Ajnala police station. After the Ajnala violence, 16 cases were registered against Amritpal Singh under various sections. NSA was also imposed on him. Amritpal Singh was arrested by Punjab Police from Moga in April 2023.
What is National Security Act
The National Security Act can be called NSA-1980. It is applicable throughout India and under it detention orders can be made at any place. This law allows the accused to be kept in custody under supervision for twelve months. This law can be used if the central or state government feels that a person is a threat to the country’s relations with other countries. This act can also be applied to a foreign national if his continuous presence is to be kept under supervision. Detention orders cannot be dismissed on the ground that the person against whom the order is made is outside the jurisdiction of the government or the authority.
Amritpal Singh was also charged under the National Security Act (NSA). According to the police, Amritpal Singh was proposed to be detained during the action taken against him for continuously endangering the security and law and order of the state.
According to the police, the SSP Amritsar Rural had sent a letter to the District Magistrate Amritsar, who, after considering the matter, issued detention orders against Bhai Amritpal Singh under Section 3(2) of the National Security Act, 1980.
