Punjab government won't extend NSA for Amritpal's aides

Seven petitions from aides of radical Sikh leader Amritpal Singh have been withdrawn. The Punjab government decided not to extend the National Security Act (NSA) for these individuals. The withdrawal took place after a statement from the lawyers of the petitioners. Senior advocate Anupam Gupta, representing the Punjab government, confirmed the petitions were disposed of during a court hearing. The names of the detained aides include Kulwant Singh Rauke and Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, among others. The petitions challenged NSA orders from both 2023 and 2024. However, Gupta explained that the NSA is either expired or soon to expire, and no case has seen the NSA formally withdrawn. Instead, the detainees are being released as the act lapses. Amritpal Singh's NSA detention will end on April 22. Currently, he and nine of his associates from the outfit “Waris Punjab De” are being held in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail. They were detained after a crackdown by the Central and Punjab governments on March 18, 2023. Amritpal was captured on April 23, 2023, after nearly a month on the run. The Punjab government reinstated the NSA in April 2024. Notably, Amritpal Singh won a parliamentary seat in the June 2024 elections. A next hearing for his pending petitions is set for March 23.