SC reserves verdict on Sidhu's conviction in road rage case
New Delhi, April 18: The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its judgment on a plea filed by Punjab Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu against a three-year jail term awarded to him in a 30-year-old road rage case.
A bench of Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul reserved the judgment after hearing arguments from counsels of the Punjab government and Sidhu and his cousin.
The incident dates to December 27, 1988, when Sidhu and his cousin had beaten up Gurnam Singh and two other in what was described as a road rage case. Singh later died.
On April 12, the state government supported the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court convicting the minister. It told the apex court that 65-year-old victim had died after a fist blow from the cricketer-turned-politician.
The state said there was no evidence at all to suggest that Singh died of a cardiac arrest and not a brain haemorrhage. In 1999, the trial court in Patiala had acquitted Sidhu and his cousin saying the medical report stated the death was due to a heart attack.
The High Court in December 2006 had overturned the lower court's decision.
It said Singh did not die of cardiac arrest but due to the injury on his temporal lobe. Sidhu was awarded three years in jail for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The apex court in 2007 had stayed the conviction after counsel appearing for Sidhu had contended that the findings of the High Court were based on opinion and not on medical evidence.
Sidhu's lawyer argued that there were deficiencies in the medical evidence and the prosecution witnesses had given different statements on oath before the trial court.
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Belagavi: Married man jumps into Malaprabha river with lover
Belagavi: A married young man allegedly died by suicide after jumping into the Malaprabha river along with his lover on Wednesday morning under the jurisdiction of the Ramadurga police station. The incident is said to have occurred after his family opposed his second marriage.
The deceased have been identified as Jagadish Yallappa Kavalekar (27) and Gangamma Pavadeppa Tyapi (26), both residents of Mallapur village in the taluk.
According to police, Jagadish’s wife had gone to her parental home in Bochabal village for her first delivery. Dur ing this period, discussions regarding Jagadish’s second marriage reportedly arose within the family.
When family members insisted that the issue be addressed only after his wife returned, opposition intensified, leading to tension at home.
Following the disagreement, Jagadish and Gangamma left their homes on Monday. Their bodies were found in the Malaprabha river on Wednesday morning. Upon receiving information, the Ramadurga police rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies from the river. Police said the bodies were found embracing each other.
A case has been registered at the Ramadurga police station, and further investigation is underway.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
