New Delhi: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday found cricketer-turned-MP Navjot Singh Sidhu guilty of culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, of Gurnam Singh in Patiala in 1998. Gurnam Singh had died allegdly of beating by Sidhu in 1988.
Sidhu has been convicted under Section 304 of IPC. The court pronounced the verdict while hearing an appeal of the Punjab government against an earlier verdict of the Patiala district court, acquitting Sidhu in the murder case. A separate appeal was also filed by the son of the victim.
The district and sessions judge of Patiala had on September 22, 1999, acquitted Sidhu in the case registered under Sections 304 and 34 of IPC at police station, Kotwali, Patiala on December 27, 1988 for causing the death of Gurnam Singh.
The sessions court had dismissed the case in 2000 on the grounds that there was a delay in lodging the case.
Sidhu and his associate had allegedly beaten up Gurnam over a dispute over the parking of vehicles outside the State Bank of Patiala branch, where Sidhu was employed.
An FIR registered by the Punjab Government on December 27, 1988 alleged that Navjot Sidhu and Rupinder Singh Sandhu had showered blows on Gurnam in Sheranwala Gate Bazaar of Patiala after dragging him out of his car and injuring him.
Sidhu has always maintained that the incident was merely an accident and that he had no intention of causing harm to the person. The news will no doubt put his highly successful post-cricket career as an expert and entertainer in jeopardy.
Contrary to the fame he has achieved as a member of the Indian cricket team since the 1980s, his almost four-year-old career as a commentator and of late for his opnions, more famously known as ‘Sidhuisms’, have propelled him to become a household name.
The appeals against Sidhu’s acquittal were filed in 2002 and on November 29, 2002, the court admitted the same for further hearing.
Re: Navjot Singh Sidhu held guilty in '88 murder case
Guys,
If he did beat up that person so badly that he died from his injuries then he should be sent to jail.
I have no sympathy for him. The only sympathy I have is for the family of the other guy. Justice has been served. Although he has only been jailed for 3 years. I think it should have been more.
Re: Navjot Singh Sidhu held guilty in '88 murder case
violent and smelly (douse their hair with yoghurt etc.) ............
no seriously I lost a lot of respect for Sidhu after he allegedly said that he would have banned Akhtar for more than two years. I mean he has no business giving out such irresponsible and unreasonable statements without knowing all the facts about the doping case.