Chandigarh: The Punjab government has asked the Punjab and Haryana High Court to allow it to keep MP Amritpal Singh in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail after his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) ends on 22 April.
Taking up the state’s petition Thursday, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu issued notice to the central government, among others. The court also dismissed a plea filed by Amritpal challenging his third detention under the NSA. The orders in this case had been reserved by the division bench headed by Chief Justice Nagu on 11 March.
The Punjab government has told the court that Amritpal would be formally arrested on 23 April in the case relating to the attack on a police station in Ajnala in February 2023.
Listed as the prime accused in the case, Amritpal had allegedly led the attack at the police station that left several officers injured. Amritpal and his supporters laid a siege there, forcing the police to release one of his associates arrested in an abduction case.
Amritpal, a radical activist, had returned from Dubai to Punjab in August 2022 to head the outfit “Waris Punjab De” after the death of its founder Deep Sidhu. For almost a year after his arrival in the state, Amritpal openly espoused the cause of a separate Sikh state.
In a special operation launched by the police in March 2023, hundreds of supporters of Amritpal were arrested, but he as well as some associates remained on the run for over a month.
He was finally arrested on 23 April, 2023, detained under the NSA and shifted to the central jail in Dibrugarh, where he has been lodged since. The Punjab government extended his detention under the NSA in March 2024. He contested the parliamentary elections while in detention in 2024 and was elected as the MP from Khadoor Sahib. His detention was extended again in April 2025.
However, in moving the high court, the Punjab government has made it clear that it does not intend to further extend Amritpal’s detention under the NSA. He will now be arrested in connection with the multiple cases pending against him in the state.
In the petition filed by the government in court, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar Rural, says Amritpal is accused in FIR number 39 dated 24 February, 2023, and will be arrested on 23 April in the case.
“The petitioner seeks the kind indulgence of the hon’ble court to issue appropriate directions to confine/lodge Amritpal Singh–respondent number 3–at Dibrugarh Central Jail, Dibrugarh, Assam, consequent upon his arrest in FIR number 39 with further permission to permit the police authority to investigate respondent number 3 at a designated place in the Dibrugarh police station,” states the petition, a copy of which is with ThePrint.
“Further intelligence is sought before to issue appropriate directions to conduct the entire judicial proceedings from the beginning, including the production of accused after arrest, remand, presentation of chargesheet, etc, in FIR number 39 (i.e. pre-trial and during trial or any other proceeding whatsoever), through video conferencing,” it adds.
What govt petition states
In the petition, the SSP has told the court that after his arrest, Amritpal was detained in Dibrugarh jail under the NSA through the first detention order on the grounds that he had threatened the security of the state and posed a serious threat to the maintenance of public order with his anti-national activities, especially his blatant attack on the police force along with his associates while laying siege at Ajnala police station.
The other grounds for detention included his preparing the youth for armed rebellion by creating Anandpur Khalsa Force in the garb of running de-addiction centres, the SSP states.
The petition further says that after the end of the first detention period, Amritpal was issued the second detention order in March 2024 on the grounds of his alleged involvement with “pro-Khalistani entities”; a hunger strike by his family members against his first detention which posed a threat to public order; and circulation of a letter on social media duly signed by Amritpal and his other co-detainees provoking the masses and youth to avenge the killing of “pro-Khalistani entities namely Avtar Singh Khanda in the UK and Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada” and also provoking youth and masses against the government.
The petition adds that a third detention order was passed against Amritpal in April last year on the ground of his alleged involvement in the murder of friend-turned-critic Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau.
The SSP says Amritpal was the mastermind and key conspirator in Hari Nau’s killing “who used to speak against his ideology and his activities. After his murder, a hit list of 14 individuals… to be killed for speaking against Amritpal came on record. These anti-state activities were a threat to the security of the state and maintenance of public order”.
In the petition, the SSP lists that even while in detention, Amritpal was involved in various activities which caused prejudice to public order and security of the state, for which evidence could be produced in court when demanded, as these were confidential in nature.
The petition states that on 1 April this year, a grenade attack took place in Sector 37 Chandigarh which damaged property but fortunately no human life was lost. Radical organisation ‘Sikh Tigers of Khalistan’ subsequently took responsibility for the attack and posted on social media threatening that the government of India and Punjab would face consequences for restraining Amritpal’s activities.
According to the SSP’s petition, last month, Punjab-origin YouTuber Nancy Grewal was killed by unknown assailants in Canada. She was openly critical of Amritpal and his ideology. It states that it was later learnt that the two persons, Akash Harike and Sukha Sandhu, who took responsibility for the murder were followers of Amritpal and other members of Waris Punjab De.
The SSP adds that various lawyers who had been contesting cases in courts against Amritpal on behalf of a complainant or in any other capacity had received threats to their life for performing their professional duty as counsel of the parties opposing Amritpal.
On 23 February, says the petition, a letter was circulated on social media which was issued by ‘Akal Khalsa Force International Association’. While supporting Amritpal’s ideology, it clearly conveyed the message that if any individual would speak against him or his ideology, it would not only be against Amritpal but against the entire Sikh community.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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