Team Waris Punjab De and Punjab State Government were at loggerheads in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday over the habeas corpus petition filed by Amritpal Singh's legal advisor requesting the court to direct the respondents (Punjab Government) to produce Amritpal Singh before it. In its last hearing, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had rapped the Punjab Government and Police over intelligence failure due to which Amritpal Singh managed to escape from 80,000 Punjab Police personnel. However, on March 28, the tables turned and the High Court asked the legal team of Waris Punjab De to present evidence to back their claims saying that Amritpal Singh is already in Police custody. Furthermore, State advocate general (AG) Vinod Ghai told the HC bench of justice NS Shekhawat that efforts to nab Amritpal were underway and that he had not been arrested yet. Below is everything happened in High Court on Amritpal Singh's case-
“Punjab police have been categorically denying the custody of Amritpal. You show us some evidence that he is in the illegal custody of Punjab police,” the judge said adding “a warrant officer” would raid the area to recover him. “I will appoint a warrant officer or direct the concerned chief judicial magistrate to raid the area to recover him. You must show the court something to disapprove the stance of the state government,” the judge said. The matter has now been adjourned for Wednesday for further hearing.
'How Amritpal Singh escaped?': HC raps Punjab State Govt over 'intelligence failure'
Justice NS Shekhawat of the HC had made these observations while hearing the habeas petition filed by Imaan Singh Khara, legal advisor of Waris-Punjab-De organization headed by Amritpal Singh. The petitioner has been submitting that on March 18, Amritsar and Jalandhar police teams, along with central paramilitary forces, had detained Amritpal Singh from the area of Shahkot in Punjab’s Jalandhar illegally and forcibly without disclosing any reason.
Furthermore, the HC has sought a fresh affidavit from the respective inspector general by Wednesday. Earlier, as the hearing began, the AG requested the court that since the state was going through a crucial phase and the matter concerned national security, those involved be told to make arguments based on written statements. It is pertinent to mention here that the AG in the last hearing informed the court that Amritpal was not in police custody and had been declared a fugitive. The AG said the National Security Act had been invoked against the Waris Punjab De chief and his role is being probed in five criminal cases.