Election plea: Court seeks Gauhati HC’s intervention to serve notice on Amritpal

Chandigarh : The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the registrar-general of the Gauhati high court to facilitate the service of notice to Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who is currently lodged in the Dibrugarh Central Jail.

The court was hearing a petition challenging Amritpal’s election, filed by Vikramjit Singh from Mohali district.

The petition contests the legality of Amritpal’s election on multiple grounds. It alleges that he concealed crucial details in his nomination affidavit, violated election expenditure rules, and engaged in corrupt practices by using religious grounds for campaigning.

Specific accusations include failure to disclose expenses related to voter slips, public meetings, vehicles, social media, and paid news. The petitioner also claims that Amritpal used religious venues and religious identity to garner votes, which would constitute illegal practices under the Representation of the People Act.

Additionally, the petition raises concerns about the sources of funding for Amritpal’s campaign, alleging that foreign funds may have been involved and that these were not properly disclosed. It further claims that Amritpal’s campaign, managed by his family while he was detained, involved the release of his manifesto from a gurdwara and campaigning at various religious sites, undermining the sanctity of these places.

The petition contended that Amritpal’s actions not only undermined the sanctity of religious places but also violated the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.

The petition was first listed before high court on August 31 last year. Justice Anil Kshetarpal on September 13, 2024, the next date of hearing, had taken note of an objection raised by the “office” regarding maintainability of the election petition on the ground that it was barred by limitation. The bench also took note of the contentions raised by the petitioner’s counsel that the date of result declaration was required to be excluded.

Justice Kshetarpal issued notice of motion for October 25, 2024, “while keeping all the objections open”. The court then took note of the fact that notice of the petition remained “unserved”. It was received back with the report quoting his mother as saying the he was lodged in Dibrugarh jail. Notice through “registered ad” was not received back, served or otherwise.

The court in November last year ordered that “the office would issue notice through the superintendent, Central Jail, Dibrugarh, with direction to ensure service before the next date of hearing”. Justice Kshetarpal on January 17 observed “notice issued to respondent has not been received”.