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Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday directed the Punjab government to place on record the “foundational material” based on which it rejected the parole plea of Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh. The direction was passed by a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, which questioned the state’s broad reliance on national security grounds without disclosing the specific material that led to the denial.
During the hearing, the Punjab government told the court that “national survival and national defence are involved” in the matter. It argued that granting parole to Amritpal Singh could allow him to make public statements that may pose a threat to public order and national security. The submission was made by senior advocate Anupam Gupta, appearing for the state.
Amritpal Singh’s counsel, senior advocate R.S. Bains, countered the argument by suggesting that his client could be permitted to participate in parliamentary proceedings through video conferencing, thereby eliminating any apprehension regarding public interaction. However, Additional Solicitor General of India Satya Pal Jain, appearing on behalf of the Lok Sabha Speaker, clarified that there is currently no legal provision allowing MPs to attend parliamentary proceedings virtually.
In response, Bains conceded that there was no such provision at present but argued that evolving circumstances often compel the legal system to innovate, citing how courts themselves adopted video conferencing during extraordinary situations.
After hearing both sides, the High Court directed the Punjab government to place before it the specific records, intelligence inputs, and other material that formed the basis of its decision to reject Amritpal Singh’s parole application. The court’s order indicates that it will closely scrutinise whether the denial was based on concrete security assessments or generalised apprehensions.
Amritpal Singh, who heads the radical outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’, has been lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam under the National Security Act (NSA) since 2023 following a massive crackdown by Punjab Police. The authorities have repeatedly extended his detention on grounds of national security.
The matter is expected to come up for further hearing after the state submits the required material, with the court likely to examine the balance between constitutional rights of an elected representative and the claimed imperatives of national security.
