Jail, new home of Sidhu! SC awards one-year jail term to Congress leader in 1988 road rage case

Patiala, May 19: The former Punjab congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu has indeed landed in big trouble as giving set back to him, Supreme Court awarded one-year rigorous imprisonment to Sidhu in a three-decade-old road rage case.

 

 

The bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Justice SK Kaul today allowed a review plea by the victim's family on the issue of the sentence awarded to Sidhu in the 1988 road rage case. The top court ruled on the matter of the review petition that was filed by the family of the road rage victim, Gurnam Singh.

 

Ahead of today’s hearing, Sidhu had appealed to the court not to punish him further by imprisoning him. Sidhu appealed for a lenient view considering his impeccable political and sporting career, philanthropic activities, social welfare work, etc.

 

Sidhu also asked the bench to consider that the SC had earlier taken a lenient view saying over three decades had passed since the incident. The SC had also noted that there was no past enmity between the accused and the victim. The court also considered the fact that the accused did not use any weapon.

 

 

 

Sudhir Walia, the lawyer of the victim’s family, told the media that today’s decision came on their review petition. “He (Sidhu) has to go to jail and he will have to surrender. He can move ahead a curative petition, that is the only remedy available to Sidhu - that is rarely exercised,” the lawyer said.

 

The Supreme Court had earlier reserved its verdict on an application that was filed to seek the enlargement of the scope of notice in the case against Sidhu. The application was moved to the apex court in connection with the review petition.

 

 

Sidhu had urged the court to dismiss the petition seeking to enlarge the scope of the road rage case. The cricketer-turned-politician had referred to an earlier order of the Supreme Court wherein it was held that there was no proof to corroborate the claim that the victim had died due to a single blow in the road rage case. Sidhu had contended that there was no merit in the application and it should be dismissed.

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