Chandigarh: The Supreme Court awarded one-year imprisonment to former Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu in a three-decade-old road rage case. The Supreme Court delivered the verdict as the victim's family had filed a review petition in the matter in the 34-year-old Rodrigues case.
The judgment was delivered by a bench of justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul. The petition filed by the victim's family stated that Sidhu's sentence should not be commuted. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had sentenced Sidhu to three years imprisonment for unintentional murder while the Supreme Court had acquitted him of unintentional murder.
Yet a fine of Rs 1,000 was imposed for causing the injury. In 2018, the Punjab and Haryana High Court convicted Sidhu and sentenced him to three years in prison. The apex court had fined Sidhu and released him due to the age of the case and other reasons.
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sindhu refused to comment after being sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment in a three-decade-old road rage case. "No comments," Sidhu told reporters on being asked about the one-year imprisonment. The apex court on Thursday allowed the review application on the issue of sentence against Sidhu, saying, "We have allowed review application on the issue of sentence. In addition to the fine imposed, we impose a sentence of imprisonment of one year to be undergone by respondent Sidhu."
A year later, the Supreme Court stayed the sentence and granted bail. Navjot Sidhu argued with a person regarding a parking space in Patiala where Sidhu's friend was also present. The Sessions Court Judge of Patiala had on September 22, 1999, acquitted Sidhu and his associate, due to a lack of evidence in the case and giving the benefit of the doubt.
It was then challenged by the victim's families before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had in 2006, convicted and sentenced Sidhu to three years imprisonment. Sidhu then filed an appeal before the apex court challenging this order. On December 27, 1988, Sidhu allegedly beat Gurnam Singh on his head, leading to his death.
Responding to the verdict, the former cricketer said in a tweet that he will submit to the majesty of law.
