Long legal battle lies ahead for Amritpal, aides in Punjab
Chandigarh : The Punjab government’s decision not to seek further National Security Act (NSA) custody for Khadoor Sahib MP and radical leader Amritpal Singh and his nine aides has provided temporary relief for the detainees. However, a lengthy legal battle still lies ahead as all 10 face at least 14 serious charges and their arrests are imminent once the Punjab Police secure their custody from Dibrugarh jail, officials familiar with the development said.
On their release from Dibrugarh jail, Amritpal and his aides will be arrested in cases ranging from attempt to murder to extortion, arms violations, robbery and trespassing. Seven of Amritpal’s associates will be arrested in relation to the attack on the Ajnala police station on February 22, 2023. The charges against them include sections related to rioting, armed assault, unlawful assembly, and obstruction of public duties.
Amritpal, along with accomplice Lovepreet Singh, alias Toofan, is also facing multiple charges, including kidnapping, causing hurt during a snatching, and criminal intimidation, in an FIR registered at the Ajnala police station. Additionally, he is involved in a conspiracy to murder social activist Gurpreet Singh Harinau, who was killed in October 2023. Punjab Police have stated that evidence links Amritpal to the murder, with further charges under the Arms Act and other criminal offences.
“During investigations, evidence has come on record indicating the role of Amritpal Singh of Waris Punjab De in the murder conspiracy. As per some statements recorded in the investigation, the murder was carried out at the behest of Amritpal,” Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav had said.
Amritpal’s legal troubles do not end there. He also faces charges related to the recovery of electronic devices and mobile phones in Dibrugarh, including cases under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). As investigations unfold, Punjab Police officials have indicated that Amritpal and his aides will be arrested in connection with other cases registered in various districts of Punjab.
Punjab Police get transit remand of Amritpal’s 3 aides
With the end of their NSA detention approaching, the Punjab Police have already secured the transit remand of three of Amritpal’s aides. As the detention of four other aides concludes in the coming days, they will be brought to Punjab for arrest in the Ajnala police station attack case, officials familiar with the development said.
“As and when required, Amritpal and his associates would be arrested in other cases registered across Punjab. The trial in all these cases had halted as the accused were detained under the NSA,” a senior police official dealing the cases said.
Stand vindicated: Amritpal’s father
Jalandhar: A day after the Punjab government decided to revoke the NSA against Amritpal Singh and his aides, his father Tarsem Singh said that their position had been vindicated. He argued that the state government had wrongfully invoked the NSA against Amritpal and his associates two years ago.
Speaking at a meeting of the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) in Jalandhar on Monday, Singh criticised both the state and central governments for their prolonged use of the NSA, noting that they had no legal basis to invoke the act for over a year, yet it had been applied twice in the past two years.
“We have been saying from day one that our children were falsely implicated in these cases and were unjustly imprisoned in Dibrugarh jail,” he added.
