Punjab moves to keep MP Amritpal Singh in Assam jail; HC rejects challenge to NSA detention

The Punjab government has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking permission to continue the custody of Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh at Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam after his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) ends on April 22.

Appearing before a bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, the state said it intends to arrest the MP immediately after the expiry of his preventive detention and keep him lodged in the Assam prison, citing intelligence inputs and security concerns. The matter is scheduled to be heard on Friday.

Counsel for the state submitted that the move is necessary in view of potential threats to law and order, adding that arrangements are in place for his continued confinement outside Punjab. The plea also sought permission for police to interrogate him at a designated facility in Dibrugarh and to conduct all subsequent judicial proceedings, including remand and filing of chargesheets, through video conferencing.

Representing Amritpal, advocate Iman Singh Khara confirmed that the state has requested continued incarceration in Assam. He said the court will take up the plea for further consideration shortly.

The petition, filed by the Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police, argues that the MP’s alleged activities pose a risk to “the security of the state, law and order situation, and public order”. It also notes that the Assam government has consented to his continued detention in Dibrugarh under provisions of the Transfer of Prisoners Act.

Separately, the high court on Thursday dismissed Amritpal’s challenge to his third detention order under the NSA, issued in April last year. The division bench of Chief Justice Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry held that the preventive detention order was beyond the scope of judicial review, observing that it was “clear as daylight” that no interference was warranted.

The court found no illegality in the detention order issued by the Amritsar district magistrate in April 2025. The grounds cited included alleged links with “anti-national elements”, association with gangsters, and “campaigning the cause of Khalistan separatist”.

Amritpal, chief of the group ‘Waris Punjab De’, has been in custody since April 2023 following a month-long manhunt after the Ajnala police station incident, where he and his supporters allegedly forced entry into the premises and clashed with police. He later contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent and won from Khadoor Sahib.

His current detention under the NSA is set to lapse on April 22, with the state indicating it may proceed with a fresh arrest the following day to ensure continued custody.