Supreme Court junks plea challenging election of Amritpal Singh as Khadoor Sahib MP
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 9
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging the election of radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh as a Lok Sabha MP from the Khadoor Sahib constituency in Punjab.
Amritpal (31), who won the Lok Sabha election from Khadoor Sahib as an Independent candidate while being in jail, heads the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit. He is currently lodged in a prison in Assam’s Dibrugarh district for alleged offences under the National Security Act. On July 5, he was granted parole to take oath as a Lok Sabha member.
Amritpal’s election was challenged on the ground that he’s a radical Sikh preacher who didn’t owe allegiance to the Indian Constitution.
A Bench led by Justice BR Gavai, however, asked the petitioner to file an election petition. “It is a matter of evidence. There are procedures prescribed. There are provisions in the Representation of the People Act,” it said. “Thank you. Dismissed,” the Bench said, turning down the plea.
The petitioner contended that Article 84 of the Constitution, which deals with qualification for membership of Parliament, says that a person shall not be qualified to be chosen to fill a seat in Parliament, unless he is a citizen of India.
“In this case, respondent no. 4 (Amritpal Singh) had said that he didn’t owe allegiance to the Constitution of India,” submitted the petitioner, who appeared in-person. The petitioner said he was not a voter of Khadoor Sahib constituency but was “deeply hurt” by Amritpal’s utterances.
