Lok Sabha to decide on parole for Pro-Khalistani MP-elect Amritpal Singh

Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh

CHANDIGARH: Now the ball is in the court of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, as the Punjab government has forwarded the application of MP-elect from Khadoor Sahib and Pro-Khalistani Amritpal Singh to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to grant him parole or temporary release on his oath-taking as a parliamentarian.

Jailed radical preacher Amritpal Singh to seek temporary release for taking oath

Highly placed sources in the state government said that Amritpal Singh's application was first moved to Amritsar Deputy Commissioner (District Magistrate) for parole or temporary release and now it was forwarded to the state home department which further sent it to the Lok Sabha Speaker.

``We got the application in this regard from the Amritsar District Magistrate on June 9 and have forwarded to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, once they revert back to the state government, we will inform the Amritsar DC who will then issue the orders ,’’ said a top functionary of the state government.

When contacted Rajwinder Singh Bains, lawyer of Amritpal Singh said that he doesn't know the current status of the application.’

Meanwhile, former Member of Parliament Rajdev Singh Khalsa told this newspaper over phone that the application to grant him bail or temporary release was moved to the Amritsar district magistrate on June 9. He is booked under the National Security Act (NSA) and is currently lodged at the central jail in Dibrugarh of Assam.

Now the speaker has to give the directions but he is yet to take any action on the application, as far as we know. He might ask the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for comments. An elected member has 60 days to take oath as per the constitution,’’ he said.

Before apologizing before the Akal Takht yesterday, the rebel leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal visited Jallupur Khera, the native village of Khadoor Sahib MP-elect Amritpal Singh, who is detained in the Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act and met his parents and termed it a courtesy call.