News Analysis India

Tag: Amritpal Singh

  • They Contested Lok Sabha Polls From Jail And Won But Can They Take Oath? |

    New Delhi: Two candidates from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency are currently in prison on charges related to terrorism and have been elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The result was declared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on June 4 which raised the unusual situation. 

    As per ECI, Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh secured a victory from the Khadoor Sahib seat of Punjab while terror financing accused Sheikh Abdul Rashid also known as Engineer Rashid won from the Baramulla parliamentary constituency of Jammu and Kashmir.

    Amritpal Singh secured victory from a margin of 1,97,120 votes against Congress leader Kulbir Singh Zira. Amritpal is the chief of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit and is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail of Assam under the National Security Act (NSA). Rashid won from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat against  National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah by a huge margin. 

    On jailed candidates being elected in Lok Sabha seats, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh said, “…The number of legislators with criminal charges is on the rise… The makers of the Constitution would have never thought that such people would be elected to the Parliament. A constitutional amendment is needed to specify the charges, holding which, the candidates will be disqualified from contesting elections”

    “The irony is, that people in jails cannot vote, but can contest and win elections… A Parliamentary seat cannot lie vacant for more than 60 days, irrespective of whether they have taken an oath,” he said while speaking to ANI. 

    He further said that the Parliament should step in and not let such people get elected and in cases where they have to vacate their seats, they should not be allowed to recontest till the time they are out of custody. 

    “It is the need of the hour to bring a law addressing this issue… There is a provision somewhere which allows them to file their nominations by authorising someone, this is how they have contested elections,” he said.

    If Amritpal Singh and Engineer Rashid were to be convicted and jailed for a minimum of two years, they would immediately lose their seats, as per the Supreme Court judgment of 2013. 

  • Spy Cam, Phones Found In Separatist Leader Amritpal Singh’s Cell In Assam Jail Breach; Waris Panjab De Alleges Conspiracy |

    In a concerning development and security breach incident, several unauthorised activities were detected in the National Security Act (NSA) cell in which separatist leader and Waris Panjab De chief Amritpal Singh is lodged at the highly secure Dibrugarh Jail. The director general of Assam Police, GP Singh, took to his X social media handle to confirm the breach.

    The DGP said that a search operation led to the recovery of numerous unauthorised items, including a spy camera, a smartphone, a keypad phone, pen drives, Bluetooth headphones and speakers, a smartwatch, among others from the NSA cell. He stated further that all the recovered items were lawfully seized by the jail staff and the source of these items was currently under investigation.

    “Reference NSA detenues at Dibrugarh Jail, Assam – On receipt of information about unauthorised activities taking place in the NSA cell, additional CCTV cameras were installed in the public area of the NSA block. Inputs received confirmed unauthorised activities, based on which Jail staff searched the premises of NSA Cell early this morning, leading to the recovery of a smartphone with a SIM card, a keypad phone, a TV remote with a keyboard, a spy-cam pen, pen drives, Bluetooth headphones & speakers and a smart watch, which were lawfully seized by Jail staff. The source of these unauthorised articles and mode of induction are being ascertained. Further lawful action is being taken and steps are being taken to prevent recurrence,” the Assam DGP said.

    Reference NSA detenues at Dibrugarh Jail, Assam – On receipt of Information about unauthorised activities taking place in NSA cell, additional CCTV cameras were installed in public area of NSA Block. Inputs received confirmed unauthorised activities, based on which Jail staff… pic.twitter.com/Iwf5kWOeXN
    — GP Singh (@gpsinghips) February 17, 2024

    On the other hand, Waris Panjab De lawyer Imaan Sngh Khara alleged conspiracy. He alleged that a spy cam was fitted inside the washroom of Amriptal Singh’s cell and the footage might be being sent to the state or central government. Khara alleged that the nude/semi-nude pic of Amritpal Singh may be used to blackmail him after the NSA ends next month. The lawyer also alleged that if a spycam could be fitted in the jail washroom, then Singh could be poisoned as well. Khara urged the Punjab government to raise the issue with the Assam government.

    ਦੂਜੀ ਵਾਰ ਫਿਰ ਤੋਂ ਕੇਂਦਰੀ ਜੇਲ੍ਹ ਡਿਬਰੂਗੜ੍ਹ(ਅਸਾਮ) ਵਿਖੇ ‘ਵਾਰਿਸ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ’ ਜਥੇਬੰਦੀ ਦੇ ਆਗੂ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਨੇ ਭੁੱਖ ਹੜਤਾਲ਼। (1/2)#warisPanjabDe #sikh #kaum #punjab #history pic.twitter.com/TQNBXh1fDQ
    — Adv Imaan singh khara (@advimaankhara) February 17, 2024

    In April of last year, Punjab Police arrested Amritpal Singh after a manhunt straddling states and spanning several months. He was later brought to Dibrugarh jail. Nine of Amritpal’s close aides, including Papalpreet Singh and Daljeet Singh Kalsi, are also in the same jail. Dibrugarh Central Jail is considered the most secure prison in the state and one of the oldest correctional facilities in the Northeast.