Just about a week after his representation for temporary release or parole to attend the Parliament’s Budget session was turned down, Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court once again seeking the order’s quashing. Amritpal is currently under preventive detention under the National Security Act (NSA).
He has also sought directions to the respondents, Union of India, the State of Punjab, and the Amritsar district magistrate to allow temporary release/parole in accordance with the provisions of Section 15 of the National Security Act for enabling him to attend the budget session convened in phases from January 28 to February 13 and from March 9 to April 2.
Among other things, Amritpal contended that the state of Punjab dismissed his representation vide an illegal, vague, unreasonable, and cryptic order. The MP added that he wanted to represent the people of his constituency before the Parliament and to highlight issues faced by them in “the true spirit of democracy and in consonance with the Constitution of India.”
The petitioner contended he wanted to highlight the devastation suffered by 1000 villages in his constituency in the August 2025 floods; the rampant rise of drug abuse in the State of Punjab, “especially affecting his constituency as it was a border area”; and also developmental issues in the parliamentary constituency.”
The petition is yet to come up for hearing and is likely to be listed before the Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu. The petition’s advance copy has already been supplied to the parties concerned. The Union of India has all along been represented by Additional Solicitor-General Satya Pal Jain.
Amritpal Singh had moved the court earlier, also stating that he had addressed representations to the Union of India, the Lok Sabha speaker, and other respondents for granting parole and allowing him to attend the budget session of Parliament.
He had added that the detention order was politically motivated and passed with mala fide intent of silencing the petitioner, who was an elected Member of Parliament representing 19 lakh constituents. His continued detention undermined democratic rights and the Will of the electorate.
Disposing of his earlier writ petition, the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu had held that the power to grant temporary release under Section 15 of the National Security Act was with the “appropriate government” — which, in the present case, was the State government.
The court had then ordered the Home Secretary, Department of Home Affairs and Justice, Government of Punjab, to take a decision on the representation dated January 17 and to communicate the outcome forthwith to him and his counsel. The order came amid arguments touching upon the scope of preventive detention vis-à-vis the constitutional rights and privileges of an elected Member of Parliament