Road rage case: Sidhu urges SC to dismiss review petition against him

The petition in the road rage case against is without merit and ought to be dismissed: Navjot Singh Sidhu

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has urged the Supreme Court not to punish him any further in the three-decade-old case and said that the review petition in the road rage case against him is without merit and ought to be dismissed.

Sidhu, responding to the review petition, said that the petition in the road rage case against him is without merit and ought to be dismissed.

Sidhu also submitted that while having undergone a sentence of 1 day, he has always abided by the directions of the Courts. Further, he submitted that he has had an active public life with an impeccable record as a parliamentarian wherein he has worked for the welfare of not only the citizens of his constituency but the public at large.

Further, he said that various philanthropic gestures have made contributions towards social welfare by helping those in need of immediate financial assistance and by contributing to the development of environmental projects.

He also submitted that he has been a law-abiding citizen and ought not to be punished any further.

Therefore, he submitted that the power of review may not be entertained in the present case.

A special bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul is scheduled to hear the matter today.

The family of the 1988 road rage case victim had filed a review petition before the Supreme Court seeking a modification of its earlier order in which the Punjab MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu was acquitted.

Sidhu was acquitted in connection with the culpable homicide charges but was convicted of the offence of voluntarily causing hurt in an order given by the apex court. The court had slapped a fine of Rs 1,000 on Sidhu. The court had also acquitted Sidhu's associate, Rupinder Singh Sandhu, in the case.

The case has gone through Session Court, High court and Supreme Court.

The Sessions Court Judge of Patiala had on September 22, 1999, acquitted Sidhu and his associate, due to 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 had allegedly hit Gurnam Singh on his head, leading to his death.