Jailed Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh’s lawyer seeks bail, cites public support for anti-drug efforts in Punjab

Following Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh's surprising electoral triumph from Punjab's Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, his lawyer said on Wednesday that the central and state authorities would be compelled to provide him relief. 

Rajdev Singh Khalsa, representing the incarcerated Singh, while seeking bail, emphasized Singh's efforts to combat drug abuse in Punjab. Khalsa outlined the legal strategy moving forward, emphasizing the pursuit of bail for Singh and expressing confidence that public support would compel both the BJP and AAP governments to grant relief, newswire ANI reported.

“The government will have to grant them relief because there is no alternative; the government will be compelled to do so, both the BJP government and the AAP government. Amritpal Singh was making Punjab drug-free. The people have approved that his arrest was illegal and immoral,” Khalsa said, as quoted by ANI.

Khalsa criticized the circumstances of Singh's arrest, orchestrated by the Bhagwant Mann government, labelling it as dishonest and asserting that the portrayal of law and order issues and Hindu-Sikh tensions was false.

Following his victory in the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat, Singh's wife and lawyer visited Dibrugarh Jail on Wednesday to meet him. Singh secured a significant lead with 4,04,430 votes, while his closest contender, Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira, garnered 2,07,310 votes.

Amritpal Singh was arrested by Punjab police in April last year, weeks after evading police and having the stringent National Security Act invoked against him. 

In the 2019 elections, Congress's Jasbir Singh Gill won Khadoor Sahib. The 2024 contenders included BJP's Manjit Singh Manna, AAP's Laljit Singh Bhullar, and Shiromani Akali Dal's Virsa Singh Valtoha.

In the highly competitive 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress retained its seven seats in Punjab, equaling its previous tally. The BJP saw a poor turnout, failing to win any seats in Punjab and losing five seats in Haryana, where it had previously won all 10 seats.

The BJP nearly doubled its vote share in Punjab but could not retain the two seats it had won in 2019. In Haryana, the party lost half of its seats and 12 per cent of its vote share to the Congress.

The Election Commission of India declared results for 542 of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, with the BJP winning 240 seats and the Congress 99. This marked a significant drop for the BJP from its 2019 tally of 303 seats and the 282 seats won in 2014.

The Congress grew substantially, winning 99 seats compared to 52 in 2019 and 44 in 2014.

(With inputs from ANI)