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Punjab Government Seeks Continued Detention of Amritpal Singh in Assam Jail
Gyanhigyan english | April 17, 2026 2:40 PM CST

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Chandigarh, April 17: On Thursday, the Punjab government submitted a new application to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, requesting that Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh remain confined at Dibrugarh jail in Assam as his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) is set to expire on April 22.


Amritpal Singh has been incarcerated in Assam due to his involvement in the 2023 Ajnala Police Station attack case.


In a separate ruling, the high court dismissed Singh's challenge against the third NSA detention order issued by the Punjab government in April of the previous year.


During the latest hearing, a representative for the Punjab government informed Chief Justice Sheel Nagu's bench that the state plans to arrest Amritpal and maintain his custody in Dibrugarh jail, citing security concerns and intelligence reports.


Singh's attorney, Iman Singh Khara, noted that the state government has requested that the MP continue to be held in the Assam facility.


The high court is scheduled to review the Punjab government's request on Friday.


Amritpal has been detained under the NSA since April 2023, and his current detention period is nearing its end on April 22, with the state government unlikely to extend it.


According to the plea, Amritpal is expected to be arrested on April 23.


The Senior Superintendent of Police from Amritsar Rural filed the plea on behalf of the state, asking the high court to direct that Amritpal be confined in Assam following his arrest, and to allow police investigations at a designated location in Dibrugarh.


The petitioner also requested that the court permit the state to conduct all judicial proceedings from the start, including the accused's production post-arrest, remand, and chargesheet presentation via video conferencing.


"The grounds outlined in the writ petition highlight Amritpal Singh's anti-national activities, which pose a threat to state security and public order," the plea stated.


The petitioner also mentioned that the Assam government has consented to Amritpal's confinement at the Central Jail in Dibrugarh, in accordance with the Transfer of Prisoners Act, 1952, and the Transfer of Prisoners Act, 2025.


In a separate matter, the high court rejected Amritpal's plea contesting the state government's NSA detention order.


"It is evident that the preventive detention order against the petitioner is beyond the scope of judicial review," stated the division bench's ruling.


Amritpal sought to annul the third detention order issued against him on April 23, 2025, which was set for one year.


The court found no illegality in the detention order from the Amritsar district magistrate dated April 24, 2025.


The ruling cited various grounds for detention, including "colluding with anti-national elements," "associating with notorious gangsters and terrorists," and "attempting to eliminate individuals who could expose his actions and damage his reputation," as well as "promoting the Khalistan separatist cause."


Amritpal, who leads the 'Waris Punjab De' group and emulates the late Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was apprehended in Rode village, Moga, on April 23, 2023, after a month-long search.


The Punjab Police initiated a crackdown on his group following the Ajnala incident on February 23, 2023, where Amritpal and his supporters, armed with swords and guns, forcibly entered the police station on the outskirts of Amritsar to demand the release of his aides.


Amritpal contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate and won from Khadoor Sahib.


His detention under the NSA was extended in April 2025, while nine of his associates, also detained in Assam, were returned to Punjab. These associates were arrested in connection with the same incident.



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