The Central government on Wednesday informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that Amritpal Singh, Member of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib, has been granted leave of absence for 54 days.
The facts were put before a Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel, on less than two weeks after Lok Sabha Speaker formed a 15-member committee to examine leave petitions of Members of Parliament, including Amritpal Singh.
At the resumed hearing, India’s Additional Solicitor-General Satya Pal Jain and lawyer Dheeraj Jain presented to the court a March 11 letter of the Lok Sabha Secretariat. The letter had outlined the sanctioned leave dates: from June 24 to July 2, from July 22 to August 9, and from November 25 to December 20, 2024.
Noting the communication, the Bench noted: “As for the concern of the petitioner for disqualification by reason of undue absence, his concern is allayed by the letter dated March 11.”
In the case of Amritpal Singh’s plea for sanction to meet ministers and officials with regard to the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for constituency development, the Bench stated that business of parliament is rule-bound. It directed him to submit a written representation to the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Background on Amritpal Singh
Amritpal Singh, the MP of Khadoor Sahib, is a Khalistani sympathizer and Waris Punjab De’s chief. He has been under detention at Dibrugarh Central Jail in terms of the National Security Act (NSA) ever since he was detained on April 23, 2023. Singh was arrested from Rode village in the Moga district of Punjab after going into hiding for 35 days.
His arrest followed a strong crackdown after a rampage at Amritsar’s Ajnala police station on February 23, 2023, by him and his men who demanded the release of his colleague. Armed with swords and weapons, his men attacked the police, injuring several officers. The attack caused actual security concerns that prompted the authorities to act tough against him and his group.
Singh came into limelight after he patterned himself on Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and adopted Waris Punjab De, a group founded initially by late Deep Sidhu actor-Khalistani Sympathiser. His speeches were the cause of concern for security agencies, and there are a number of cases against him under the NSA. His arrest has been contentious with legal and political circles debating if he was arrested for his political opinions.
Amritpal Singh, in his petition, who came to the court through senior advocate R.S. Bains, sought leave to remain present for the sitting of parliament, informing that it was contrary to his constitutional rights and left his constituency of nearly 19 lakh people unrepresented. He also feared that remaining absent for over 60 days would cause his seat to be vacated.
Singh claimed that he had officially requested the Speaker of the Lok Sabha on November 30 last year to attend the parliamentary session. He was informed that he had already lost 46 days of session. Despite making representations to the Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate, he received no response, compelling him to approach the judiciary.