In a significant virtual hearing, incarcerated Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh presented his case for temporary release before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday. The MP, detained under the National Security Act (NSA), sought parole to participate in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
MP's Personal Plea in Punjabi
Dressed in a white kurta-pajama and a blue turban, Singh appeared via videoconference from Assam's Dibrugarh jail. This marked his first personal virtual appearance before the court since his arrest in April 2023. Arguing in Punjabi before a division bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, the MP stated that his prolonged detention was causing hardship not just for him, but for his entire parliamentary constituency.
"My release is not a personal matter but connected to those voters who elected me to be their voice in Parliament," Singh asserted. He emphasized that the people of Khadoor Sahib were being deprived of representation in the national legislature due to his absence.
Constituency Issues Left Unaddressed
The MP outlined several serious public interest issues from his constituency that he has been unable to raise in Parliament. These included problems related to floods, the drug menace, and allegations of fake encounters. Singh argued that in India's democratic system, an elected representative has both the right and the responsibility to bring such matters to the floor of the House.
He sought conditional release specifically to attend the remaining days of the winter session. The bench, after permitting him to argue in person on the condition that he would not later seek an adjournment for his lawyer to argue, adjourned the matter till after lunch to hear the state's arguments.
Lawyers' Strike Halts Proceedings
When the hearing resumed at 2 pm, the proceedings hit an unexpected hurdle. Senior advocate Anupam Gupta, representing the Punjab government, expressed his inability to present arguments. This was in solidarity with the ongoing suspension of work by lawyers affiliated with the bar body over a separate issue.
"It is a matter of ethics. I have always stood by my brothers in the bar. I would not be able to argue today," Gupta informed the bench. Despite a request from a lawyer for Amritpal Singh to at least address three critical constituency-related issues, given that only two days of the session remain, the High Court adjourned the hearing for Wednesday.
The case highlights the tension between national security provisions and parliamentary representation, setting the stage for a crucial legal decision on the MP's plea for conditional release.
