Dibrugarh: An Amritsar court has approved one-day parole for imprisoned Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament and Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh, allowing him to attend the funeral rites of his 84-year-old grandmother, Charan Kaur, who died on Sunday.
Currently lodged in Assam’s high-security Dibrugarh Central Jail, Singh will be escorted to Punjab by a Punjab Police contingent on Saturday, November 14.
Although his relatives had petitioned for an extended release to observe the full post-funeral rituals, the court limited his temporary leave to 24 hours.
Addressing the media in Dibrugarh on Friday, Singh’s legal counsel, Jasbir Kaur, confirmed that the court had approved the temporary release and that all administrative procedures had been finalised.
“Because his grandmother died on Sunday during Diwali, the Amritsar court took the situation into account and approved his parole for Saturday,” Kaur stated.
She said the official directive was issued on Friday, completing the paperwork required for his transit. “Officers from the Punjab Police are scheduled to arrive here tomorrow to escort him back to Punjab,” she said.
Kaur explained that although the family had requested Singh’s release until all customary mourning ceremonies were completed, the court restricted the parole to November 14.
“Our plea was for his release to cover the entirety of the final rites, yet the court only authorised a single-day window,” she said.
Relatives had reportedly delayed the cremation while awaiting court approval for Singh’s attendance. His defence lawyers had petitioned the Amritsar District and Sessions Court for temporary relief, citing humanitarian and religious obligations.
Before Kaur’s death on November 8, the family had also raised concerns over logistical hurdles that prevented a court-approved video call between Singh and his ailing grandmother.
Singh has been lodged at Dibrugarh Central Jail since April 23, 2023, following his arrest during a widespread police operation linked to the February 2023 storming of the Ajnala police station in Amritsar.
He was initially detained under the National Security Act (NSA) over law-and-order concerns. His three-year preventive detention ended in April 2026.
Immediately after the expiry of his NSA detention, Punjab Police took him into custody in connection with the Ajnala police station incident.
Following two days of interrogation, he was placed in judicial custody. However, he remains lodged in Dibrugarh under special arrangements approved by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and attends court hearings virtually.
The Ajnala case relates to an incident on February 24, 2023, when Singh and his followers allegedly breached police barricades and clashed with officers at the police station to secure the release of an aide.
Authorities have filed charges against 41 individuals in connection with the unrest, including attempted murder, rioting, criminal conspiracy and assaulting public officials.
Previously, nine of Singh’s associates, Papalpreet Singh, Daljeet Singh Kalsi, Kulwant Singh, Varinder Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bhukhanwala, his uncle Harjit Singh, Basant Singh, Gurinder Singh Aujla and Bhagwant Singh, were also held at the Dibrugarh facility under the NSA.
They were transferred to Punjab in 2025 after their NSA detentions expired and are currently facing trial in the Ajnala case.
Despite his incarceration, Singh contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate, won the Khadoor Sahib seat and took his parliamentary oath on July 5, 2024. His temporary release comes as criminal proceedings against him continue in Punjab.