New Delhi, Jailed radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh and Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, who were granted parole to take oath as members of the Lok Sabha, took oath as MPs on Friday, amid strong deployment of security personnel in and around the Parliament complex. .
While Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, is lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail in a terror financing case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Singh is lodged in a jail in Assam's Dibrugarh district for offenses under the National Security Law.
They were taken to the Parliament complex by security personnel this morning.
The elected MPs took oath in the Lok Sabha Speaker's chamber after completing the formalities, a source said.
Singh, 31, and Rashid, 56, won the recent Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, respectively, as independents while incarcerated.
They could not take oath as members of the 18th Lok Sabha on June 24 and 25 along with the other winning candidates.
On taking oath, Rashid was granted a two-hour custodial parole, excluding travel time from Tihar to Parliament, and Singh was granted a four-day custodial parole, starting from July 5, in view of the journey from Assam to Delhi and back.
His parole orders stated that during his period of temporary release, he could not speak or address the media on any topic or make any statements. His family cannot make statements in any media.
While Singh, a Khalistani sympathizer who heads the group 'Waris Punjab De', was allowed to meet his family in Delhi, Rashid's family was only allowed to attend his swearing-in.
Parole for Rashid, imprisoned since 2019 after his arrest in 2017, was granted by a Delhi court and that of Singh by the Amritsar district magistrate, from where he was arrested in April 2023 for breaking into a police station in February and clashes with police personnel in an attempt to free one of his aides from custody.
Both Singh and Rashid must be accompanied by security personnel at all times during their probation periods, according to the orders.
Delhi Police and Punjab Police were directed to coordinate with the Lok Sabha general secretary on the proceedings inside the Parliament complex.
The name of Rashid, a former MLA, emerged during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, whom the NIA had arrested for allegedly funding terrorist and separatist groups in the Kashmir Valley.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet against several people, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in the case. Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Singh named himself after slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and is in prison along with nine of his associates under the National Security Act.
While Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, is lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail in a terror financing case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Singh is lodged in a jail in Assam's Dibrugarh district for offenses under the National Security Law.
They were taken to the Parliament complex by security personnel this morning.
The elected MPs took oath in the Lok Sabha Speaker's chamber after completing the formalities, a source said.
Singh, 31, and Rashid, 56, won the recent Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, respectively, as independents while incarcerated.
They could not take oath as members of the 18th Lok Sabha on June 24 and 25 along with the other winning candidates.
On taking oath, Rashid was granted a two-hour custodial parole, excluding travel time from Tihar to Parliament, and Singh was granted a four-day custodial parole, starting from July 5, in view of the journey from Assam to Delhi and back.
His parole orders stated that during his period of temporary release, he could not speak or address the media on any topic or make any statements. His family cannot make statements in any media.
While Singh, a Khalistani sympathizer who heads the group 'Waris Punjab De', was allowed to meet his family in Delhi, Rashid's family was only allowed to attend his swearing-in.
Parole for Rashid, imprisoned since 2019 after his arrest in 2017, was granted by a Delhi court and that of Singh by the Amritsar district magistrate, from where he was arrested in April 2023 for breaking into a police station in February and clashes with police personnel in an attempt to free one of his aides from custody.
Both Singh and Rashid must be accompanied by security personnel at all times during their probation periods, according to the orders.
Delhi Police and Punjab Police were directed to coordinate with the Lok Sabha general secretary on the proceedings inside the Parliament complex.
The name of Rashid, a former MLA, emerged during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, whom the NIA had arrested for allegedly funding terrorist and separatist groups in the Kashmir Valley.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet against several people, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in the case. Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Singh named himself after slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and is in prison along with nine of his associates under the National Security Act.
