From our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court’s sword is kept hanging on cricketer-turned former Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu in a 1988 road rage case. A Bench of Justices A M Khanilkar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul on Friday reserved its ruling on a review petition after hearing the case.
Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra argued against the Supreme Court letting him off on May 15, 2018 with a paltry fine of Rs 1,000 despite death of one person. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi defended Sidhu and justified the top court’s decision.
The petitioner had questioned Sidhu’s conviction for voluntarily causing hurt under Section 323 of the Indian Penal Code and insisted that it was a case of murder. Under Section 323 IPC, a person can be sentenced to imprisonment for a maximum of one year or a maximum fine of Rs. 1000/- or both depending , on the case.
In reply to the review petition, Sidhu had sought closure of the case as dismissed since it was devoid of merits.
The matter relates to an incident of December 27, 1988, at a red light crossing at Battian Wala Chowk in Patiala, in which one Gurnam Singh was punched by Sidhu, resulting in his death later in hospital due to cardiac arrest. and he later died in hospital due to cardiac arrest.
Noting that the incident is 30-year-old, and no past enmity between Sidhu and deceased Gurnam Singh and no weapon was used, the top court had ruled that a fine of Rs 1,000 would meet the end of justice.
The Punjab & Haryana High Court had convicted Sidhu for voluntarily causing hurt and sentenced him to a 3-year jail, but the top court let him off with a mere fine
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