Navjot Singh Sidhu, former cricketer-turned-politician and Punjab minister, is facing the possibility of receiving harsher punishment in a 1988 road rage case, in which a man named Gurnam Singh died 20 years ago. Sidhu was sentenced in the case four months ago, with a nominal fine of Rs. 1,000.
The Supreme Court (SC) has now agreed to entertain a petition filed by the family members of deceased Gurnam Singh seeking review of its May 15 verdict that let off Sidhu with Rs 1,000 fine in a 1988 road rage case citing there was no sufficient evidence to prove the harsher charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against him.
A SC bench of justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul issued notice to Punjab Minister Sidhu on September 12. “Issue notice restricted to quantum of sentence qua respondent no. 1 – Navjot Singh Sidhu,” the bench said in an order.
Sidhu refused to comment on ‘reopening’ of the case.
In May, a bench of Justices J Chelameswar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul sentenced the Congress leader with a fine. The May verdict allowed the cricketer-turned-politician to continue as a minister in the Punjab government.
