Radical Sikh leader and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh has moved high court challenging the order of the Amritsar deputy commissioner of not allowing a meeting between him and a lawyer of his “choice”.
Besides him, Harjit Singh, Sarabjeet Singh Kalsi and Varinder Singh Faulji, all detained under the National Security Act-1980, have also challenged the July 6 order of the DC with which permission sought by a high court lawyer, Navkiran Singh, for a meeting was denied stating that these persons have already given their consent to take another advocate as their counsel.
The plea says the law of the land through Article 22(1) mandates that a detenue has a right to consult and be defended by a lawyer of his choice and the action of the DC in denying the access to lawyer of their choice is “denial of access to justice”. The order passed by the DC is “most arbitrary and whimsical and amounts to denial of access to justice”.
The plea also seeks directions for arranging a meeting between the lawyer and the petitioners so that they can make effective defence in the criminal cases as well as challenge the orders passed under the NSA by Punjab. The plea also demands that NSA accused also be allowed to communicate with their lawyers through phone.
{{/usCountry}}The plea also seeks directions for arranging a meeting between the lawyer and the petitioners so that they can make effective defence in the criminal cases as well as challenge the orders passed under the NSA by Punjab. The plea also demands that NSA accused also be allowed to communicate with their lawyers through phone.
{{/usCountry}}Besides this plea, Gur Aujla, another aide of Amritpal Singh, has moved a petition seeking contempt proceedings against the DC. Plea claims, on April 18, the high court had passed an order to decide application for meeting with his lawyer as per law. But the DC denied the permission.
All of these are lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam and were detained in the operation undertaken by the Centre and Punjab following crackdown launched on March 18 against the Waris Punjab De chief. He was nabbed following an almost month-long chase. A total of 10 persons, including Amritpal Singh, are lodged in Assam jail, against whom NSA has been invoked.