Amritpal Singh, the jailed Member of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib, has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking parole to attend the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament, set to commence on January 28. The petition, filed under Section 15 of the National Security Act, 1980, is likely to be heard on Thursday, according to his counsel Imaan Singh Khara.
Amritpal Singh (33), who is currently detained in Dibrugarh jail in Assam under preventive detention provisions of the NSA, was arrested in April 2023 following a month-long state-wide manhunt. In his latest plea, Singh has sought temporary release specifically to participate in the budget proceedings of the Lok Sabha, citing his responsibility as an elected MP and the need to raise critical constituency and state-level issues.
The petition highlights Singh’s intention to bring attention in Parliament to recent flood-related devastation in Punjab, the escalating drug menace, and various developmental concerns affecting his Khadoor Sahib constituency.
This is not his first attempt to secure parole for parliamentary duties. A similar plea made during the Winter Session in late 2025 had turned infructuous as arguments in the matter remained incomplete before the session ended.
Background: NSA Detention and Arrest
Amritpal Singh, who heads the radical group ‘Waris Punjab De’, was detained in Assam under the National Security Act in April 2023. His arrest came after weeks on the run following a dramatic escape from a police chase in Punjab’s Jalandhar district. He was ultimately apprehended in Rode village, Moga — the birthplace of Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, whom Amritpal is known to emulate in dress and rhetoric.
His detention followed a violent incident on February 23, 2023, when he and armed supporters stormed the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar, allegedly to demand the release of one of his aides. The police later arrested several of his close associates, many of whom were also detained in Assam before being returned to Punjab.
Despite being incarcerated, Amritpal Singh contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent and secured a win from Khadoor Sahib, marking a high-profile victory amid controversy. His continued incarceration under NSA has sparked debates over the rights of detained legislators to participate in parliamentary functions.
Nine of his associates arrested in the Ajnala case have since been transferred back to Punjab, but Singh’s detention was extended under NSA in April 2025.
The court is expected to consider the matter of temporary release later this week. If granted, Singh could attend the Budget Session scheduled from January 28 to February 13 (Phase I) and March 9 to April 2 (Phase II).
