The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) worker Jobanpreet Singh, ruling on a petition that challenged his detention as unconstitutional and illegal.
Justice Alok Jain issued the directive following a plea submitted by the detained activist’s father, Mukhwant Singh. In addition to securing his son’s freedom, the petitioner requested that the court order the preservation of all electronic evidence related to the arrest, including CCTV and video recordings.
According to the petitioner’s counsel, Damanbir Singh Sobti, authorities detained the Majitha resident on May 31 without providing written grounds for his arrest. Sobti argued this failed to meet the requirements of Article 22(1) of the Constitution and ignored established Supreme Court rulings. The defense also stated that police failed to issue a mandatory notice under Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita before executing the arrest.
Prior to the court’s intervention, SAD officials claimed that Singh, who served as an election agent in the recent assembly polls, was taken from his home and held in the station house officer’s private quarters instead of a standard police lockup. The party characterized the arrest as a fabricated case driven by political vendetta.
The arrest has triggered broader legal conflicts. Amritsar Rural Police recently registered a case against senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia and 50 to 60 supporters, accusing them of storming the police station on Sunday. Authorities alleged that the group entered the facility in an attempt to forcibly free Singh, disregarded the law, and damaged official case files. Police have since initiated raids to locate and arrest Majithia.
