Amritpal Singh moves High Court again, seeks release for budget session attendance; hearing tomorrow

Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): Amritpal Singh, MP from Khadoor Sahib and head of "Waris Punjab De," who is currently lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh jail, has once again approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He has sought permission to attend the budget session of Parliament, which begins on January 28th. The High Court has accepted the petition, and a crucial hearing on the matter will take place tomorrow, January 22nd. In his petition, Amritpal Singh has sought permission to attend Parliament, citing constitutional rights and development work in his constituency.

Fund utilization and flood issues were cited

Amritpal Singh argued in court that as an elected MP, he has the responsibility to raise the voice of his constituency in Parliament. The petition states that due to his imprisonment, he is unable to utilize his MP Land Fund (MPLADS), causing significant difficulties for residents of his constituency in pursuing development projects. Furthermore, he stated that attending the session is crucial to highlight the damage caused by the severe floods in his constituency and the drug problem spreading in the border areas of Punjab.

Wrote a letter from jail to the Lok Sabha Speaker and Home Minister

Providing information regarding this petition, Amritpal's lawyer, Advocate Iman Singh Khara, stated that on January 17th, Amritpal Singh wrote a letter from jail. This letter was sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, the Punjab Home Secretary, the Union Home Minister, and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. In the letter, he clarified that as a public representative, his presence in the budget session is mandatory to fulfill his constitutional obligations. When he received no positive response from the administration, he had to resort to court.

The hearing was postponed last time due to a lawyers' strike

Advocate Khara explained that a similar petition was filed earlier during the Winter Session of Parliament. A lawyers' strike was underway at that time, delaying the hearing. By the time the case was up for hearing, only one day remained before the session ended. At that time, the High Court granted him the liberty to file another petition in the future. Based on that order, this new petition has been filed, and the court will clarify its position on it tomorrow.