Court allows jailed MP Amritpal 10-minute video call with ailing grandmother

Additional sessions judge Barinder Singh issued the directions while hearing a plea filed by Amritpal’s legal team in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station assault case

An Amritsar court has permitted radical leader and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Assam’s Central Jail Dibrugarh, to speak to his ailing 82-year-old grandmother via a 10-minute video call.

The court directed that the single 10-minute video interaction take place within five days from October 7. (HT)

Additional sessions judge Barinder Singh issued the directions while hearing a plea filed by Amritpal’s legal team in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station assault case.

The court directed that the single 10-minute video interaction take place within five days from October 7. The judge also ordered that no family member or private party be allowed to record or photograph the call.

His counsel, Rituraj Singh Sandhu, stated they had initially sought interim bail for Amritpal after his grandmother was admitted to Sri Guru Ram Das Charitable Hospital in Amritsar due to deteriorating health. “After coming to know about her deteriorating health, Amritpal desired to see her. So, an application was moved in court,” he said.

“However, during that time, his grandmother was discharged. So, the court did not allow bail but permitted him to have a conversation over video call,” he added.

Issuing a statement following the court permission, Amripal’s father Tarsem Singh it was not a government facility, but a basic human and family right. “Instead of allowing an elected representative to meet his ailing grandmother, allowing him only 10 minutes to speak to her over a mobile phone is a matter of shame for Indian democracy,” he added.

After being elevated as chief of “Waris Punjab De” organisation, Amritpal returned to India from Dubai in 2022. He was arrested in April 2023 following a crackdown over the February 2023 Ajnala police station storming incident.

He was initially detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) at Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam. During the NSA detention, Amritpal contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate and registered a thumping victory.

After his NSA detention expired in April 2026, Punjab Police formally re-arrested him in the Ajnala criminal case while in custody. However, Amritpal remains lodged at Dibrugarh jail on security grounds following orders from the Punjab and Haryana high court.