The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a petition challenging the election of jailed radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh as the Member of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib constituency in Punjab.
The petitioner's contention, placed before the bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan, was based on Article 84 of the Constitution of India, laying down that only a citizen of India shall be chosen for being a Member of Parliament. The petitioner claimed that Singh had announced that he did not take oath to the Constitution of India.
The bench asked the petitioner, who appeared in person, to file an election petition. Though not a voter in Khadoor Sahib, the petitioner expressed strong disapproval of Singh's prior statements. The bench remarked that the issue required substantive evidence and adherence to the procedures outlined in the Representation of the People Act.
The matter was wound up by the Bench in those succinct words: "Thank you. Dismissed," and it decided not to further entertain the petition.
Amritpal Singh, an independent candidate and 31-year-old radical leader, won the Lok Sabha constituency of Khadoor Sahib while he was still in jail. Parole has been granted to Singh from July 5 for him to take his oath as a member of the Lok Sabha. The head of the 'Waris Punjab De', he is presently lodged at Dibrugarh district jail in Assam under the stringent NSA.
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