Chandigarh, Feb. 3 -- The Punjab government on Monday declined jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh's application for temporary release to attend the ongoing budget session, citing "serious threat to the security of the state and the maintenance of public order." The budget session commenced on January 28 and will continue till February 13 in the first phase. The second phase will take place from March 9 to April 2. The Punjab and Haryana high court on January 23 had directed the state government to decide within seven working days on the representation of Amritpal, who is currently lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA) since April 2023, seeking temporary release to attend the budget session. Amritpal's counsel, Imaan Singh Khara, said they received the reply of the state government on Monday. The orders issued by the state home department are based on the feedback taken from the senior superintendent of police (SSP), Amritsar Rural. The SSP, in his feedback, termed Amritpal's release as a "serious threat and prejudice to the security of the state and maintenance of public order." The Amritsar Rural SSP submitted these findings on January 22, 2026, at the direction of the Amritsar district magistrate. "According to the official order issued with the approval of the competent authority, the request was examined after seeking comments from the District Magistrate, Amritsar, and the Senior Superintendent of Police (Rural), Amritsar. Both authorities opposed the temporary release, stating that allowing the MP to attend Parliament could pose a grave threat to the security of the state and disturb public order," reads the order. The order further notes that Amritpal, who is the chief of the Waris Punjab De outfit, is currently under detention and that his continued and uninterrupted custody is considered necessary in view of the gravity and enormity of the grounds of detention, as well as his conduct as reflected in official records. "Taking into consideration the entire record and keeping in mind the gravity and enormity of the grounds of detention and Amritpal Singh's conduct as reflected therein, necessitating his continuous and uninterrupted detention for the maximum period of twelve months (w.e.f. 23.04.2025) in the interest of the security of the state and the maintenance of public order; and the absence of any legally enforceable right to attend the session of Parliament while in detention, Amritpal Singh's application/representation dated 17.01 .2026 for temporary release under Section 15 of the National Security Act, 1980, for attending the budget session of Parliament commencing from 28.01.2026, is hereby declined," the order further added. The order also cited a ruling of the Supreme Court, including the landmark ruling in K. Anandan Nambiar vs Chief Secretary, Government of Madras (1966), which "held that a member of Parliament in detention has no constitutional right to attend session(s) of Parliament and can claim no special status higher than that of an ordinary citizen". This legal position was reaffirmed in the Indira Nehru Gandhi vs Raj Narain case. The home department's orders came following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court on January 23, which, while hearing Amritpal's plea for temporary release, directed the competent authority to decide on his petition in next seven working days. Meanwhile, in the high court, responding to a query from the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry, the additional solicitor general of India, Satya Pal Jain, submitted that the Punjab government was yet to decide on Amritpal's parole plea. The query came from the bench while hearing an appeal from the radical Sikh leader challenging his NSA detention order, passed by the Punjab government in April. The plea rejects the allegations that he was associated with anti-national elements and claims such imputations are "unsupported by any material". The arguments will continue on Tuesday as well. The radical Sikh preacher won the Khadoor Sahib seat with 1.9 lakh votes as an Independent in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and was administered the oath of office on July 5, 2024. Since then, he has not attended the Parliament. Nine of his associates were brought back to Punjab in March-April last year. But his third detention order was passed for one more year by the Amritsar district magistrate....