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HC signals Amritpal to remain in Assam jail post-NSA detention
Punjab govt cites “alarming security risks” and recent violence to justify keeping Khadoor Sahib MP out of state following 2023 Ajnala violence.
STRAP Punjab govt cites “alarming security risks” and recent violence to justify keeping Khadoor Sahib MP out of state following 2023 Ajnala violence.
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday signalled that radical Sikh leader and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh will be kept in Assam following the end of his National Security Act (NSA) detention on April 22, in the event of his arrest by Punjab Police in the 2023 Ajnala violence case.
Acting on a plea filed by the Punjab government on Thursday, the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry stated in an open court hearing on Friday that it would “make some arrangement and pass order.” Detailed order is awaited.
Senior advocate Deepender Singh, appearing for Punjab, noted that the court prima facie agreed with the prayer made by the state and kept the same for orders.
The Punjab government’s demand was to allow it to arrest Amritpal Singh in the Ajnala violence case after April 22 and keep him lodged in Assam. The government requested permission to carry out all other consequent proceedings upon the arrest—including the production of the accused before a magistrate, remand, presentation of the chargesheet, and trial proceedings—through video-conferencing (VC).
During the hearing on Friday, Amritpal’s counsel had opposed the government proposal and cited the rights of a person and said that it needed to be examined whether a fair trial can be granted to an accused at a distant place and had demanded that he be allowed to come back.
The bench, during the hearing, had also sought to know from the Assam government counsel about the facilities for proceedings through VC.
The counsel had informed that the Assam government has already given a commitment to provide all assistance to the Punjab government, and Central Jail, Dibrugarh, where he is lodged, has a VC facility.
The court was also informed that while in detention, Amritpal Singh once appeared through VC before the high court and has filed as many as six petitions. This shows that Assam state has all the requisite facilities for proceedings through VC.
The bench, while concluding the proceedings, said that the petition would be kept pending and an interim order would be passed. “We’ll pass an interim order… make arrangements for all hearings — whether it’s remand hearing or arguments on charges, or consultation with the advocates… Any counsel of his choice… that’ll be done on a virtual platform,” the court orally said.
The first information report (FIR) in the Ajnala violence was registered on February 24, 2023, and the trial against the other accused is currently underway at an Amritsar court.
Crime and politics
Amritpal Singh has been jailed in Dibrugarh Central Jail, Assam, since April 23, 2023, under the NSA after his arrest in Moga’s Rode village.
The hardliner was arrested two months after the attack on the Ajnala police station, in which he led supporters, some brandishing swords and guns, to break through police barricades and barge into the police station on the outskirts of Amritsar city, clashing with the police to secure the release of an aide.
Despite his incarceration, the radical Sikh leader won the Khadoor Sahib seat with 1.9 lakh votes as an Independent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and was administered the oath of office on July 5, 2024—the lone occasion he has attended Parliament.
The government has underlined that intelligence inputs and Amritpal Singh’s background establish an “alarming situation” that requires the state to act in a proactive manner.
Officials said they have already received consent from the Assam government regarding the proposal to keep him lodged there.
The petition argued that the case involves not only the risk of violence or radicalism within jails, but a larger threat to the fabric of state sovereignty and public order. It pleaded that Amritpal Singh’s anti-national activities and those of his supporters could jeopardise state security and cause prejudice to public order.
Recent threats, criminal connections
Among the grounds cited to keep him away from Punjab, the petition mentions the grenade attack carried out on April 1 outside the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh, noting that a radical organisation, Sikh Tiger of Khalistan, took responsibility and threatened dire consequences for the restraints on Amritpal.
The plea also cites the March 4 murder of YouTuber Nancy Grewal in Canada for openly criticising his activities; two people arrested in the murder were found to be his followers.
The petition claims that lawyers contesting cases against Amritpal and other critics have received threats to their life, resulting in an FIR registered on April 2.
With 12 cases against him, including murder and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) offences, the government maintains that lodging him in Punjab would threaten the security of the state, particularly in light of the recent activities of his supporters.
