Punjab seeks Sidhu''s conviction in 1988 road rage case

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 12

The State of Punjab on Thursday sought conviction of its Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in the 1988 road rage case in which a man had died, allegedly after being beaten up by the cricketer-turned politician and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu.

"The trial court's verdict was unreasonable and was rightly reversed by the (Punjab and Haryana) High Court which convicted the accused," Punjab government's counsel Sangram Singh Saron told a Bench of Justice J Chelameswar and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul.

Saron took the Bench to the statements of prosecution witnesses who supported the prosecution case.

"Two eyewitnesses have fully supported the prosecution case. Even the narration of site plan of the scene of crime in their testimony is identical to the site plan prepared by the police," Saron told the Bench.

He said even the testimony of Investigating Officer Sub Inspector Kaka Singh too clearly established the prosecution case and minor omissions here and there could not be held in favour of the accused.

He said the victim was dragged and his turban came off and then the accused landed blows on his temple that led to hemorrhage.

While Saron finished his arguments in 105 minutes, counsel representing Sidhu, Sandhu and the complainant have taken several days. On Tuesday, senior counsel RS Cheema, representing Sidhu, would counter the arguments of the prosecution counsel.

According to the prosecution, Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu were allegedly present in a Gypsy parked near Sheranwala Gate Crossing on December 27, 1988 while Gurnam Singh (the deceased) was on his way to a bank in a Maruti car with two others. As Gurnam asked the Gypsy occupants to give them way, he was beaten up by the accused who fled the scene. Gurnam was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.

Sidhu and Sandhu were initially tried for murder but the trial court in September 1999 acquitted the cricketer-turned-politician. However, the high court reversed the verdict and held him and co-accused Sandhu guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder for the death of Gurnam Singh in Patiala in 1988.

The high court sentenced them to three-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on the convicts. He was given bail in 2007 by the top court, which had also stayed his conviction to enable him contest Lok Sabha bypoll from Amritsar that was caused by resignation following the conviction.

In his appeal filed in the top court in January 2007, Sidhu had contended that the high court should not have reversed the trial court's order of acquittal without there being any compelling reasons and circumstances. 

The complainant has sought his conviction for murder.