Navjot Singh Sidhu, a leader in the Punjab Congress, is scheduled to leave Patiala jail today after serving a 10-month sentence for a road-rage incident that resulted in a man’s death 34 years ago. This morning, a tweet from the politician’s Twitter account stated that the 59-year-old former cricketer would speak to the media outside of jail at noon.
The Punjab Congress leader tweeted on Friday that “concerned authorities” had informed them he would be released today. Due to his “good behaviour,” Navjot Singh Sidhu, who received a one-year term in the road rage case, will be released earlier than expected.
According to the state’s general remission policy, his lawyer HPS Verma stated the Congress leader is receiving an early release.
“Navjot Sidhu’s scheduled release was in May, but for all prisoners with good conduct, all Sunday holidays get deducted from the sentence period. Therefore, (Navjot) Sidhu is getting a 48-day remission,” he said.
After a plea from the family of a man who died after a brawl with Navjot Sidhu and his friend in 1988, the Supreme Court last year in May sentenced the 59-year-old politician to one year of “rigorous imprisonment.” The family had sought a heavier sentence and a reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision clearing him of murder.
On December 27, 1988, Patiala resident Gurnam Singh, 65, and Navjot Sidhu got into a fight over a parking space. Gurnam Singh was allegedly dragged out of his car by Navjot Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu, who then hit him. Later, he died at a hospital.
A witness claimed that Sidhu hit Gurnam Singh in the head and killed him. In 2018, the Supreme Court imposed a 1,000 rupee fine on Sidhu for intentionally inflicting harm on a person.
As the court went over its order, it declared that Sidhu should be imprisoned since there must be “some aggravated culpability” connected if someone died.
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