Amritpal sent back to Dibrugarh jail after court orders judicial custody in Ajnala case

Dibrugarh: Waris Punjab De chief and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh was on Saturday sent back to Dibrugarh Central Jail under tight security after a Punjab court ordered his judicial custody upon the conclusion of his two-day police remand in connection with the Ajnala police station attack case.Amritpal, whose three-year National Security Act (NSA) detention term expired at midnight on Apr 22, was re-arrested by Punjab Police on Apr 23 in connection with the Ajnala case. He was transferred from Dibrugarh Central Jail to Dibrugarh Police Station, where he remained under Punjab Police custody during the remand period.On Saturday, through video-conferencing, judge Palwinder Singh of the sub-divisional court, Ajnala, Punjab, formally ordered Amritpal’s judicial custody, bringing the two-day police remand to a close.

He was subsequently shifted back to Dibrugarh Central Jail under a heavy security cordon.Amritpal’s lawyer Jasbir Kaur confirmed the development. “The sub-divisional court at Ajnala has ordered judicial custody of Amritpal Singh through video-conferencing today. The next hearing in the Ajnala police station attack case will be held on Apr 30, and Amritpal will participate through video-conferencing from the jail itself,” she said.

In addition to the Ajnala case, Amritpal had on Friday undergone trial proceedings via video-conferencing in a separate matter relating to the recovery of unauthorised electronic devices — including a spy-camera pen, smartphones, pen drives, bluetooth headphones, and a smartwatch — from the NSA cell of Dibrugarh Central Jail on Feb 17, 2024. The second hearing in that case is scheduled for May 7, and will also be conducted through video-conferencing.The Ajnala case, in which charges have been framed against 41 accused, including Amritpal, stems from an incident in Feb 2023 when a mob allegedly broke into the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar and clashed with officers to secure the release of one of Amritpal’s aides. The Punjab and Haryana high court has permitted all trial proceedings in the case to be conducted through video-conferencing, allowing Amritpal to remain in Dibrugarh throughout.“Amritpal will continue to participate in all court proceedings from Dibrugarh Central Jail through video-conferencing. We are fully cooperating with the legal process,” lawyer Jasbir added.Beyond these two cases, at least 12 other FIRs remain pending against Amritpal and his associates across Amritsar (Rural), Jalandhar, and Moga districts. He is also named as the alleged main conspirator in the murder of social media influencer Gurpreet Singh, alias Hari Nau, who was shot dead in Kotkapura on Oct 9, 2024.Amritpal remains the only one among the original ten NSA detainees still lodged in Dibrugarh. His nine associates — including Papalpreet Singh, Daljeet Singh Kalsi, and others — were transferred back to Punjab last year after the expiry of their two-year NSA terms and are currently facing trial in Punjab courts.