In fresh trouble for Navjot Sidhu, SC reopens 1988 road rage case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday asked Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu to file response within two weeks on an application which has said that his conviction in an over 32-year-old road rage case should not have been merely for the lesser offence of voluntarily causing hurt.

The apex court was hearing a matter pertaining to review of sentence awarded by it in May 2018 to the cricketer-turned-politician in the 1988 road rage case. Though the top court had in May 2018 held Sidhu guilty of the offence of "voluntarily causing hurt" to a 65-year-old man, it spared him of a jail term and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000.

Later in September 2018, the apex court agreed to examine a review petition filed by the family members of the deceased and had issued notice, restricted to the quantum of sentence. The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and S K Kaul.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for one of the petitioners, said they have moved an application seeking enlargement of scope of the notice. He referred to an earlier judgement of the apex court and said there was a clear determination that person who causes death cannot and ought not be punished for an offence in the category of hurt.

“In this case, your lordships have been pleased to reduce the conviction to 323 (section 323 of IPC) and fine,” he said, adding that the issue merits consideration by the apex court. Section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code entails a maximum jail term of up to one year or with a fine which may extend to Rs 1,000 or both.

The fact regarding death of the victim in this case is not in dispute, Luthra said, adding that he was seeking indulgence of the bench to enlarge the scope of notice. (PTI)