Panel formed to review absent MPs' leave, HC adjourns Amritpal's plea

The Centre has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that a 15-member committee, headed by Biplab Kumar Deb, has been constituted by the Lok Sabha Speaker to examine leave applications of all absent Members of Parliament, including Amritpal Singh.

During the resumed hearing of Amritpal’s petition, Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, accompanied by advocate Dheeraj Jain, told a Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel that the committee, formed on Monday, would review the cases of all such MPs.

Meanwhile, Amritpal’s counsel, R S Bains, could not appear before the court and sought time for arguments. Taking the Centre’s statement on record, the High Court adjourned the matter to next week.

Amritpal Singh, the Member of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib and leader of Waris Punjab De, is currently detained in Dibrugarh Central Jail under the National Security Act.

In his petition, he has sought permission to attend Parliamentary sessions, arguing that his prolonged absence violates his constitutional rights and leaves his constituency unrepresented. He has also pointed out that an absence exceeding 60 days could result in his seat being declared vacant, affecting nearly 19 lakh constituents.

Singh has further requested authorization to meet officials and ministers regarding the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) to address local development projects. He submitted that he had formally requested permission from the Lok Sabha Speaker on November 30 last year to attend the Parliamentary session and was informed that he had already been absent from sittings for 46 days. Despite representations to the Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate, he has not received a response, prompting him to seek judicial intervention.

Singh contends that his detention and resultant absence are involuntary, constituting forced exclusion that undermines the democratic process and the representation of his constituents. The court will now hear the matter next week.