Jailed Punjab MP Amritpal granted one-day bail for grandmother’s last rites

A local court on Friday granted a one-day interim bail to jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, allowing him to attend the final rites of his grandmother, Charan Kaur, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 84. ​Amritpal Singh, who assumed leadership of the Waris Punjab De organisation was arrested in April 2023.

(AFP file)​The development was confirmed on Friday by Shamsher Singh Padhri, spokesperson for the Akali Dal Waris Punjab De organisation. According to family sources, the jailed leader is scheduled to arrive in Punjab on Saturday to participate in the cremation.

​The ruling follows a petition filed by Amritpal’s legal counsel in the Amritsar district and sessions court, urging the judiciary to weigh both legal and humanitarian considerations. The defense team had sought temporary release for the MP—along with other detained family members—to enable them to bid a final farewell.

​Previously, the family's counsel and the MP's father, Tarsem Singh, maintained that the mortal remains, currently kept at the family’s native village of Jallupur Khera, would not be cremated until Amritpal was granted permission to attend.

The family had earlier expressed anguish after a court-permitted 10-minute video call from Assam's Dibrugarh central jail—where Amritpal is currently lodged—could not be successfully facilitated. ​Amritpal Singh, who assumed leadership of the Waris Punjab De organisation after returning to India from Dubai in 2022, was arrested in April 2023 following a crackdown related to the February 2023 Ajnala police station storming incident.

​He was initially detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) at Dibrugarh central jail. While under detention, he contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from the Khadoor Sahib constituency and secured a decisive victory.

​Following the expiration of his NSA detention in April 2026, the Punjab Police formally re-arrested him in connection with the Ajnala criminal case. He continues to be held in Dibrugarh jail on security grounds under orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, making this interim release a significant legal development for the family.

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