Plea Filed In Punjab & Haryana High Court Challenging MP Amritpal's Election For Allegedly Using Religious Identity To Seek Votes

An election petition has been filed before the Punjab & Haryana High Court challenging the Election of Punjab's Khadoor Shaib Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh, who is detained under National Security Act (NSA).

Amritpal, since his arrest in April 2023 is lodged in Dibrugarh Jail. He won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Punjab's Sri Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency as an Independent candidate. He is head of alleged "pro-khalistani" outfit Waris Punjab De and also an accused in various FIRs including Ajnala Police Station attack incident.

Vikramjeet Singh, an independent candidate from Punjab's Khadoor Sahib constituency has filed the petition challenging Amritpal's election in June, alleging that he used "his religious identity to seek votes in the name of religion, which is illegal and amounts to corrupt practices."

The plea states that since Amritpal is in Jail, his family and team visited various religious places, Gurudwaras and Hindu religious Nagar Kirtan and they also released his Manifesto from a Gurudwara.

"Meetings were held in various Gurudwaras for his support and slogans were raised in his favour. Thus the respondent has not only failed to maintain her sanctity of the religious place but has also violated the provisions of the representation of People Act by seeking votes in the religious places and as such his election is liable to be set aside on this score alone," states the plea.

The election is also challenged on grounds like, promoting material on social media without getting it sanctioned from the competent authority violating Model Code of Conduct and not filing complete nomination papers.

"During his detention under the National Security Act, some special permissions/sanctions were required from the competent authority/district magistrate as well as from the returning officer. The concerned Returning Officer not only overlooked the incomplete defective Form 26 and Form 2(A), but also did not ask respondent No. 5 (Amritpal Singh ) to file a counter affidavit or any reply to the objections filed by the petitioner and some other opposite candidates, the concerned returning officer did not apply his mind while scrutiny of documents and intentionally did not pass any speaking order to deceive the opposite candidates," the plea adds.

In the light of the above, the plea seeks to declare the election of Amritpal "void".

Advocate Rahul Kumar Adia for the petitioner.

Title: Vikramjit Singh v. Election Commission of India and others