Assam: Amritpal Singh undergoes trial in Dibrugarh jail spy camera case

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: A day after his re-arrest by Punjab police following the expiry of his three-year National Security Act (NSA) detention, Waris Punjab De chief and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh was produced before a Dibrugarh court on Friday via video-conferencing in connection with a case related to the recovery of unauthorized electronic devices from the NSA cell of Dibrugarh central jail in February 2024.

The proceedings, conducted before Judicial Magistrate First Class Chandan Saikia, saw Amritpal Singh appear from the Dibrugarh police station, where he is currently being held under tight security. Nine of his associates — who were earlier lodged alongside him in Dibrugarh but later transferred to various jails in Punjab — were also produced simultaneously via video-conferencing from Goindwal, Bhatinda, and Patiala jails.

The case dates back to February 17, 2024, when the then Superintendent of Dibrugarh central jail, Nipen Das, recovered a spy camera pen, a smartphone with a SIM card, a keypad phone, a TV remote with a keyboard, pen drives, Bluetooth headphones, speakers, and a smartwatch from the high-security NSA cell where Amritpal Singh and his nine aides were imprisoned. An FIR was registered at Dibrugarh police station. Notably, Nipen Das was himself arrested on March 8, 2024, in connection with the same case and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Assam Prisons Act, and criminal conspiracy.

Amritpal Singh’s lawyer, Jasbir Kaur, confirmed that the trial proceeded via video-conferencing as permitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. She added that two witnesses were produced on Friday. “As of today, two witnesses were produced. Previously, one witness had been produced. So far, we have cross-examined three witnesses,” she said.

Kaur said that Amritpal would remain at the Dibrugarh police station until Saturday, after which he would be shifted back to Dibrugarh central jail.

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