Punjab denies parole to Amritpal

The Punjab Government has refused to grant parole to Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who is detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, to attend the winter session of Parliament from December 1 to 19.

Sources in the Secretariat said the government, based on reports from the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner and the district police chief, cited concerns over potential law and order issues if the release was allowed.

Amritpal had invoked Section 15 of the NSA, which empowers the competent authority to grant parole to a detainee in exceptional circumstances. His plea was directed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court by the Supreme Court.

On November 21, the high court asked the state government to decide the issue within a week. The Punjab Home Department sought a report from the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner and the district police chief. Accused of fanning separatist agenda, Amritpal has been lodged in jail since June 2023. In May 2024, he contested the Lok Sabha election from Khadoor Sahib as an independent candidate and defeated his nearest rival by around 4 lakh votes. He was granted a four-day parole in July 2024 to take oath as an MP. He has not attended a single session of the Lok Sabha till date.

Asserting that attending Parliament was a constitutional duty, Amritpal had urged the high court to direct the authorities to decide his representation in a time-bound manner. He also sought any other appropriate relief warranted by the “peculiar facts and circumstances” of the case.