A day after the Supreme Court of India sentenced Navjot Singh Sidhu to one year of imprisonment for killing someone in a 1987 road rage case, the Congress leader and former cricketer sought more time to surrender on medical grounds. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, has, however, refused to entertain the Congress leader’s plea.
Navjot Singh Sidhu, through his lawyer and party colleague Abhishek Manu Singhvi, had approached the apex court on Friday asking for a few weeks’ time before he surrenders in court. Singhvi said that his client needed some time to sort out his medical issues.
As Singhvi requested a hearing on Sidhu’s petition, the apex court instructed him to file a formal appeal with Chief Justice NV Ramana, for convening a special bench to hear the case today. As the issue had already been raised, the CJI refused to consider Singhvi’s request for an urgent hearing before the special bench.
Interestingly, hours after Supreme Court had pronounced the verdict, the Congress leader tweeted that he would surrender to the “majesty of law” and less than 24 hours later, he has refused to surrender citing health concerns.
Will submit to the majesty of law ….
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) May 19, 2022
SC awards one-year jail term to Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu in the 1988 road rage case
On May 19, the Supreme Court of India sentenced Sidhu to one year of imprisonment for a 1988 road rage case saying that Sidhu had knowingly caused the death. The apex court overturned its 2018 judgement reducing the punishment for Sidhu in the case, after a review petition was filed by the family of Gurnam Singh, the victim who had died in the incident in 1988.
In 2018, a Supreme Court bench of Justice J Chelameshwar (retired) and Justice SK Kaul had ruled that the offense of Sidhu didn’t amount to culpable homicide amounting to murder, and had let him go with just a fine of Rs 1000, reducing the sentence from 3 years imprisonment imposed by the High Court.
Accepting the review petition by the family of Gurnam Singh, a Supreme Court bench of Justices A. M. Khanwilkar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul has now sent Sidhu to jail for one year.
1988 road rage case
On December 27 1988, Sidhu and one of his friends had beaten Patiala resident Gurnam Singh for allegedly blocking his vehicle. Gurnam Singh was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu were booked in the case.
In 1999, the Patiala district and sessions court acquitted them citing lack of evidence. The state govt had appealed against it, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court found them guilty in 2006 and had awarded them a three-year jail term. In 2007, the Supreme Court had stayed the conviction on Sidhu’s appeal, and in 2018, the apex court had reduced the term to a Rs 1000 fine, while Sandhu was acquitted.
