3 min readChandigarhDec 18, 2025 10:15 PM IST
First published on: Dec 18, 2025 at 10:15 PM IST
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday held that the petition filed by detained Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh seeking temporary parole to attend the Winter Session of Parliament, had “virtually become infructuous”, bringing to an end his attempt to secure permission to participate in the session that concluded on December 18.
At the beginning of the hearing, a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu questioned the practicability of any order even if it were to be passed in the MP’s favour. The Bench observed that transporting Amritpal Singh from Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam to Delhi would itself take at least 10 hours even by helicopter, making the grant of any relief impracticable at such a late stage.
The Khadoor Sahib MP had filed a representation in November seeking parole under Section 15 of the National Security Act to attend the Winter Session. On November 21, the high court had directed the Punjab government to decide the representation within a week. The state, however, rejected the request on November 24, citing apprehensions relating to law and order and public security.
Amritpal Singh subsequently challenged the rejection before the high court in the last week of November, contending that the denial was arbitrary and had the effect of silencing an elected Member of Parliament. The matter was taken up for hearing in early December, with the state strongly opposing parole on security grounds.
The Bench recorded that an effective hearing could not take place on December 15, 16 and 17 owing to abstention from work by lawyers. While the counsel for the MP presented his arguments and submissions on behalf of the respondents remained incomplete. The counsel also informed the court that the Winter Session was scheduled to conclude on December 18.
“In these circumstances, the cause has virtually become infructuous,” the court observed, declining to proceed further. It, however, granted him liberty to approach the appropriate forum if a similar cause of action arose in a future parliamentary session.
Amritpal Singh, who has been detained under the NSA since April 2023 and is lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail, appeared before the Bench through video conferencing on December 16, a day when lawyers were on strike, and addressed the court himself. He has not attended any parliamentary sitting since taking oath earlier this year on brief parole.
Punjab’s fragmented Panthic politics is poised for another realignment with three-time Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali set to formally join the Amritpal Singh-led Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) in Chandigarh on Tuesday. (File photo) 
Share
