Road rage Case : SC issues notice on review petition
New Delhi , September 11, 2018 : A road rage case filed against Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu in 1988 may be reopened by the Supreme Court to see whether the earlier punishment pronounced by single bench could be reviewed or not .
SC has only agreed to review only the aspect on the quantum of punishment resulting a major reprieve for Sidhu.
"Permission to file the Review Petition is granted. Delay condoned. Issue notice restricted to quantum of sentence qua respondent no. 1 – Navjot Singh Sidhu," stated a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjay K Kaul
This also means that Sidhu's acquittal under the charge of 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' shall stick and that would not be altered by the Court.
As far as the quantum of punishment is concerned, Sidhu currently stands convicted under Section 323 for causing hurt. The maximum punishment under Section 323 is a jail term of one year or a fine of Rs 1,000, or both. It may be recalled that any elected representative can be debarred or disqualified if the quantum of sentence is more than two years .
The top court's order came on a review petition filed by the family of the man who died in the accident
One person Gurnam Singh was killed in the incident in 1988. The Supreme Court in May acquitted Sidhu with a paltry fine of Rs. 1,000 under section 323 IPC after it decided there was no evidence to prove that his alleged beating led to the death of Gurnam Singh .
The copy of the order of Division bench of the SC is as under :
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