Amritpal Singh denied relief by High Court, unable to attend budget session

New Delhi: Khalistan supporter and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh has not received relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, preventing him from attending the budget session of Parliament. However, after the grant of leave from Parliament, the High Court disposed of his petition, and his membership remains intact.

In his petition, Singh argued that his absence for over 60 consecutive days could put his parliamentary seat at risk, potentially leaving 19 lakh voters without representation.

As per parliamentary rules, an MP’s membership can be terminated if they fail to attend the House for 60 consecutive days without approved leave.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had formed a 15-member committee, led by BJP MP and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, to review MPs’ leave requests.

The committee has recommended approving Singh’s absence after considering his request, but the final decision rests with the Speaker.

Singh has been detained in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA) since April 2023.

Due to his detention, he submitted two leave requests to the Lok Sabha Speaker, seeking absence from Parliament on multiple occasions, including June 24 to July 2 (9 days), July 22 to August 9 (19 days), and November 25 to December 20 (26 days).