New Delhi, February 3
A Bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar adjourned the hearing on a petition seeking review of its 2018 order letting off Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu with a fine of Rs 1,000 after senior advocate P Chidambaram said on his behalf that the advocate-on-record in the case has changed and he needed time to file reply to the review petition as has was engaged only last night.
The cricketer-turned-politician was acquitted of homicide charges but convicted of voluntarily causing hurt to the deceased.
The Supreme Court had on September 12, 2018 agreed to consider a petition seeking review of its May 15, 2018 order imposing a fine of Rs 1,000 on Sidhu in the case.
The Bench—which had earlier issued notice to Sidhu “restricted to quantum of sentence”—is to reconsider enhancing the amount of punishment given to him.
Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu were initially tried for murder, but the trial court in September 1999 acquitted him. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court reversed the verdict and held them guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and gave him a three-year imprisonment.
But the Supreme Court had on May 15, 2018 acquitted him of the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the 1988 road rage case in which one Gurnam Singh had died after allegedly being beaten up Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu.
