Amritpal Singh denied access to lawyer, kin, Akal Takht, SGPC raises concern

Amritsar, October 4

The Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have expressed resentment over the Amritsar administration allegedly denying permission to the lawyer and kin of Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh and other detainees, imprisoned at the Dibrugarh jail in Assam, from meeting them.

Reports surfaced that Amritpal, along with nine other detainees, had started a hunger strike in jail in protest against alleged restrictions on access to their chosen lawyer in jail.

On the other hand, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amit Talwar said ample opportunity was given to the kin and lawyers to meet the detainees as per the jail manual norms.

The DC said the family members of Amritpal and other detainees were granted permission on 42 occasions in the past five months. He disclosed that four lawyers were given permission and they had met Amritpal on nine occasions.

“As per the Punjab jail norms 2022 and directions of the State Home Ministry, permission was granted. No eligible member of the family or lawyer was ever prevented from meeting Amritpal. Actually, he has been changing his lawyers frequently. As per his earlier preference, advocate Navkiran Singh was his lawyer, who already met him in jail, but lately he had asked permission for advocate Rajdev Singh Khalsa. We have sought guidance from the State Home Ministry in this direction,” he said.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh has directed the SGPC to take up the matter with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann so that necessary directions could be given to the Amritsar DC to ensure there was no hurdle for lawyers and family members of the detainees in meeting them in the jail.

Endorsing it, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said preventing lawyers and families of Sikhs imprisoned in the Dibrugarh jail from meeting them was sheer violation of human rights.