Jailed Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh's lawyer seeks bail, cites public support for anti-drug efforts in Punjab

Following Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh's surprising electoral triumph from Punjab's Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, his lawyer said on Wednesday that the central and state authorities would be compelled to provide him relief. 

Rajdev Singh Khalsa, representing the incarcerated Singh, while seeking bail, emphasized Singh's efforts to combat drug abuse in Punjab. Khalsa outlined the legal strategy moving forward, emphasizing the pursuit of bail for Singh and expressing confidence that public support would compel both the BJP and AAP governments to grant relief, newswire ANI reported.

“The government will have to grant them relief because there is no alternative; the government will be compelled to do so, both the and the Amritpal Singh was making Punjab drug-free. The people have approved that his arrest was illegal and immoral," Khalsa said, as quoted by ANI.

Khalsa criticized the circumstances of Singh's arrest, orchestrated by the Bhagwant Mann government, labelling it as dishonest and asserting that the portrayal of law and order issues and Hindu-Sikh tensions was false.

Following his victory in the Khadoor Sahib seat, Singh's wife and lawyer visited Dibrugarh Jail on Wednesday to meet him. Singh secured a significant lead with 4,04,430 votes, while his closest contender, Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira, garnered 2,07,310 votes.

Amritpal Singh was arrested by Punjab police in April last year, weeks after evading police and having the stringent National Security Act invoked against him. 

In the 2019 elections, 's Jasbir Singh Gill won Khadoor Sahib. The 2024 contenders included BJP's Manjit Singh Manna, AAP's Laljit Singh Bhullar, and Shiromani Akali Dal's Virsa Singh Valtoha.

In the highly competitive 2024 Lok