The Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu under section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and acquitted him under section 304( (II) ( culpable homicide not amounting to murder) in 1988 road rage case. It means the Punjab minister will not go jail for the offence.
Here's the case history:
* On December 27, 1988, Sidhu and Rupinder Singh Sandhu allegedly parked their Gypsy in the middle of the road near the Sheranwala Gate-Crossing, Patiala.
When 65-year-old man Gurnam Singh reached the spot in a car, he asked them to move aside.
Sidhu then beat up Singh. He also allegedly removed Singh's car keys before fleeing so he couldn't get medical help.
* In September 1999, Sidhu was acquitted of murder, but in December 2006, the Punjab and Haryana HC held them both guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
It also imposed a fine of Rs. 1 lakh each on both.
* Sidhu and Sandhu later challenged the verdict in the SC. According to the reports, Sidhu claimed the evidence was contradictory and medical opinion was "vague."
*In 2007, the court stayed their conviction.
*Later, the Amarinder Singh government, under which Sidhu is serving as tourism minister, favored the HC's judgement in the SC.
the court argued that the "the trial court verdict was rightly set aside and Sidhu had given fist blow to deceased Gurnam Singh, leading to his death through brain haemorrhage."
*The trial court concluded that Singh had died of cardiac arrest was incorrect.
* On May 15 2018: The SC convicted Sidhu under section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and acquitted him under section 304( (II) ( culpable homicide not amounting to murder) in 1988 road rage case.