Assam Jail Facilitates Nomination Filing for Amritpal Singh’s Lok Sabha Candidacy, Punjab Government Informs High Court

In a recent development, the Government of Punjab has informed the Punjab & Haryana High Court that the nomination filing process for Amritpal Singh, a radical Sikh preacher and detainee under the National Security Act (NSA), is being facilitated at Dibrugarh jail in Assam. The revelation came during the hearing of a plea filed by Amritpal Singh, seeking to ensure an unhindered process for filing his nomination papers as an Independent candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on June 1.

Amritpal Singh, along with nine others associated with the Waris Punjab De outfit, has been in custody since April 2023, following a crackdown by the Centre and Punjab authorities on March 18, 2023. Charged under the NSA, Amritpal Singh was apprehended on April 23, 2023, in a Moga village after a month-long pursuit since his escape on March 18, 2023. Recently, the Punjab Government re-invoked the NSA against all detainees.

According to the Punjab Government’s counsel, the nomination filing process for Amritpal Singh is underway in Dibrugarh jail, with necessary arrangements being made for submitting the required documents. Once the documents are submitted, the superintendent of Central Jail, Dibrugarh, will administer the oath to Amritpal Singh as per legal provisions, and the certificate of oath will be submitted to the returning officer. This procedural clarification provided by the government’s counsel has satisfied the high court, which has disposed of the plea. However, a detailed order from the court is still awaited.

This development underscores the complexities surrounding Amritpal Singh’s candidacy and the extraordinary measures being taken to facilitate his participation in the electoral process despite his detention. The involvement of multiple legal jurisdictions and administrative bodies highlights the intricacies of reconciling legal obligations with democratic processes, reflecting the broader tensions between security imperatives and civil liberties in contemporary democracies.

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