In a significant development, the Punjab government, under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann, informed the Punjab & Haryana High Court on Friday that it has facilitated Amritpal Singh, the head of ‘Waris Punjab De,’ currently detained under the National Security Act (NSA), to submit his nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.
Acknowledging that the prayers articulated in the petition had been adhered to, Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj noted that the petition would consequently be rendered “infructuous,” a legal term meaning that the matter has become irrelevant or unnecessary, as per a Live Law report.
Amritpal Singh, in a meticulously followed process, completed two sets of nomination forms and accompanying paperwork on May 9. This process was conducted with utmost care and adherence to the law. Furthermore, he was allowed to meet his proposer and Advocate at Dibrugarh Central Jail, as conveyed to the Court by DAG Punjab, Arjun Sheoran.
“The Superintendent Central Jail Dibrugarh will administer the oath to the detenue as per the provisions of law, including Handbook for Candidate, 2023, issue a Certificate for Receipt of Oath, and send an original form of Oath to Returning Officer, 03—Khadoor Sahab, (Punjab). The oath will be administered as and when the detenue requests his nomination form be submitted before the Returning Officer,” Sheoran elaborated.
Amritpal Singh, a separatist and the chief of “Waris Punjab De,” has expressed his intention to run as an independent candidate for Punjab’s Sri Khadoor Sahib constituency in the Lok Sabha election slated for June 1. This decision holds significant implications for the final phase of the polls in 2024.
Following a crackdown on the outfit, ten members of the pro-Khalistani organization, including its prominent leader Amritpal Singh, have been incarcerated in Dibrugarh since March 19, 2023, after being detained under the NSA from various regions of Punjab.
Singh approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday, seeking temporary release to file his nomination for the Lok Sabha polls.
