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Amritpal’s parole visit to Punjab fails; lawyers to move court again
Khadoor Sahib MP and Akali Dal Waris Punjab De chief could not be brought from Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail to Punjab to attend the last rites of his grandmother
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Khadoor Sahib MP and Akali Dal Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail, could not be brought to Punjab on Saturday to attend the last rites of his grandmother despite being granted one-day custody parole by an Amritsar court a day earlier.
His legal team subsequently made several attempts to get the parole date changed but failed to submit an application before any judge.
Advocates Harjot Singh Mann, Karamveer Singh, Ritu Raj Singh and Kuljit Singh first approached the residence of the duty magistrate concerned to submit an amendment application, but it was not accepted. They subsequently approached another duty magistrate, but the matter could not be taken up there either.
The team then reached the residence of the sessions judge, but the judge was unavailable, leaving no scope for further legal proceedings on Saturday.
“On Monday, the defence team will file a fresh application before the court, seeking further dates of parole so that Amritpal can attend his grandmother’s last rites in the family’s native Jallupur Khera village in Amritsar,” said Shamsher Singh Padhri, spokesperson of the party headed by the jailed MP.
Advocate Karamveer Singh said the legal team would continue its efforts and approach the Punjab and Haryana high court, if required, to secure a change in the parole date.
Sources said Dibrugarh jail authorities also expressed their inability to make arrangements for Amritpal’s transfer to Punjab at such short notice.
Uncle brought to native village in custody
Meanwhile, Punjab Police brought Amritpal’s paternal uncle Harjit Singh, lodged in Bathinda jail in the same case, to Jallupur Khera village under tight security.
The Amritsar court had granted him three-day parole following his mother’s death.
Harjit was allowed to spend three hours at home on Saturday but remained handcuffed and in police custody. He met his brothers, including Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh, and other relatives before being taken back to Bathinda jail.
His next visit will be scheduled on the day of the cremation, depending on Amritpal’s arrival, said party leader Sukhwinder Singh Agwan.
Charan Kaur, 84, died on Sunday following a prolonged illness. The family had postponed her cremation at their native village, saying it would wait for Amritpal to attend the last rites.
On Friday, special court judge Mahesh Kumar Sharma had directed the state government to ensure Amritpal’s participation in the cremation for three hours, from noon to 3 pm on November 14.
The order directed jail authorities to bring him to Jallupur Khera under police escort and take him back immediately after the ceremony. All transportation and police escort expenses were to be borne by Amritpal.
The court granted the permission on humanitarian grounds, subject to several restrictions, including that he would not visit any place other than his native house, contact any prosecution witnesses connected with criminal cases pending against him, address the media or public gatherings, or communicate with anyone outside his family.
He was also directed not to undertake any activity that could prejudice the law and order situation of the state.
Earlier, on the radical leader’s application for three-day parole (from November 14 to 17), the judge had sought the state government’s reply.
The state had opposed the plea for interim bail on the grounds of law and order situation, security scenario and maintenance of public order. It had prayed that in the event of grant of permission to the applicant for a visit to Jallupur Khera, appropriate conditions might be imposed upon him.
Amritpal is lodged in Dibrugarh jail in connection with the February 2023 Ajnala police station attack. He was arrested in Moga’s Rode village on April 23, 2023, after a month-long manhunt. In 2024, he won the Lok Sabha election from Khadoor Sahib as an independent candidate.
