3 min readChandigarhUpdated: Apr 18, 2026 08:45 AM ISTKhadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh. (Source: File)The Punjab and Haryana High Court Friday indicated that it would pass an interim order to ensure Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh remains lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail after his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) expires on April 22.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry was hearing an urgent plea moved by the Punjab government seeking permission to arrest Amritpal and continue with his incarceration in Assam after his detention under the NSA ends.The bench said it would “make some arrangement and pass an order,” suggesting that Amritpal would, for now, continue to remain in Dibrugarh. The bench also indicated that proceedings in the case would be facilitated through virtual mode.After asking a senior law officer from Assam, who appeared virtually, whether the Dibrugarh jail had the required facilities, the court observed that necessary arrangements would be put in place for all stages of the process, including remand, arguments on charges and meetings with legal counsel. It added that Amritpal would be able to consult lawyers of his choice through virtual means. The matter will remain pending before the court.The plea was filed by the Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police on Thursday, on a day the high court, in a separate order, dismissed Amritpal’s plea, challenging the third detention order under the NSA issued by the Punjab government in April last year.A counsel for the Punjab government informed the bench that Amritpal’s preventive detention was set to lapse on April 22 and it intended to execute a fresh arrest in Assam itself, citing intelligence inputs and security considerations. The government submitted bringing Amritpal back to Punjab could pose a risk to law and order and proposed that he remain in Dibrugarh, with court proceedings conducted via videoconferencing.The bench, however, had raised questions over the absence of a formal arrest in the case despite the investigation having been completed. It asked the State to clarify why procedural requirements had not been fulfilled and under what legal framework an undertrial could be retained outside the State.Story continues below this adThe State responded that while the investigation in the FIR stood completed, Singh had not yet been formally arrested in that case. It reiterated concerns over potential unrest in Punjab and referred to his alleged role in promoting separatist rhetoric.During the hearing, the court also sought clarity on the statutory basis for inter-state custody and transfer of prisoners. References were made to the Transfer of Prisoners Act, 1950, and relevant Supreme Court judgments. The State argued that constitutional courts could exercise powers under Article 226 to permit such arrangements in appropriate cases and placed on record Assam’s consent for Amritpal’s continued stay in Dibrugarh.Amritpal has been under preventive detention since April 2023. © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Amritpal SinghPunjab and Haryana High Court