Assam's Dibrugarh jail detenued Sikh radical Amritpal Singh and Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid on Thursday separately took oath as Lok Sabha MPs amid tight security at the Parliament complex. Both were given parole for the purpose. Their sources revealed that they came singly to the Parliament complex in the morning and were sworn at the Lok Sabha Speaker's chamber.
56-year-old Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail in regard to a 2017 case of terror funding, was released on two-hour custody parole to take his oath as a parliamentarian.
Independent candidate Rashid had won the Lok Sabha poll from Baramulla constituency of Jammu and Kashmir by defeating National Conference leader Omar Abdullah by a margin of over 200,000 votes.
31-year-old Amritpal Singh headed the 'Waris Punjab De'. Presently lodged in an Assam jail, he has managed to win from the Khadoor Sahib seat with a margin of 197,120 votes over Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira. Like Rashid, he contested as an Independent while still incarcerated.
It was evidently mentioned in both the parole orders that both leaders wouldn't be allowed to interact with the media or make any public statement during the parole period. Rashid was given permission to have his family present at the oath-taking ceremony. However, in the case of Amritpal Singh, he could only meet his father and uncle after the ceremony.
Constitutional experts say that an MP-elect in jail can actually attend the swearing-in ceremony and even be part of important proceedings of parliament if allowed by the court. According to Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, on conviction for any offense entailing imprisonment of two years or more, disqualification shall take place.
Amritpal Singh was granted a parole of four days prior to July 5, after which he returned to Assam after taking his oath.
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