Premium

Supreme Court again rejects bail plea of Amritpal aide Gurjodh Singh in 2023 police station attack case

On February 23, 2023, a mob of around 200-250 armed persons, headed by Amritpal Singh, had allegedly attacked the Ajnala police station in Punjab to force the release of one of their associates.

The Supreme Court refused bail to Gurjodh Singh, aide of MP Amritpal Singh, in the February 2023 Ajnala police station attack case.

The plea was dismissed as withdrawn after the bench highlighted serious law and order concerns.

The Supreme Court has once again refused to grant bail to Gurjodh Singh, aide of pro-Khalistan leader and Parliamentarian Amritpal Singh, accused in the February 2023 Ajnala police station attack that had left several personnel injured.

With the bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran not inclined to grant him any relief, Gurjodh Singh’s counsel chose to withdraw the plea on September 22. The SC, accordingly, dismissed his plea as withdrawn.

Opposing his prayer for bail, the state government told the bench that giving Gurjodh Singh the relief may lead to law and order issues. The only time the accused was produced physically before the trial court, a mob of around 300-400 people had gathered outside, the government counsel informed the top court.

Story continues below this ad

According to the FIR, on February 23, 2023, a mob of around 200-250 armed persons, headed by Amritpal Singh, the self-proclaimed leader of an organisation called ‘Waris Punjab De’, attacked the Ajnala police station to force the release of one of their associates from police custody. “In their endeavour to secure release of their associate, the mob turned violent and besides inflicting injuries to senior police officials, up to the rank of Superintendent of Police, with sharp-edged weapons, the mob also vandalised government property,” it added.

Amritpal Singh is now an MP from Khadoor Sahib constituency in Punjab.

Gurjodh Singh initially approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking bail. The HC dismissed it in May 2024, saying “the…incident has shocked the conscience of the entire nation, where an unlawful mob, including the present petitioner, under the influence of one Amritpal Singh, took the law into their own hands by attacking a police station… The ‘show of strength’… depicts that the mobsters, including the petitioner, consider themselves above the ‘Rule of Law’… they also exhibit their future intentions to take law into their own hands, just to achieve their own sense of justice…”

The HC had further said, “…since the material placed before this Court brings to full glare the antagonist state of affairs prevailing in the State of Punjab, therefore, this Court cannot abdicate its constitutional role and turn a blind eye to the suffering of the common man. It will be a travesty of justice, if, despite grave allegations, the petitioner is enlarged on bail.”

Story continues below this ad

Gurjodh Singh then moved the SC which dismissed his plea on December 19, 2024, but gave him liberty to make a fresh request for bail if the trial is not concluded in six months.

He then moved the SC a second time recently but failed to get any relief with the court dismissing the plea as withdrawn on September 22.