Navjot Singh Sidhu had the last laugh. Nearly three-months after his own Government sought Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s conviction and jail term in 1988 road rage case, the Supreme Court’s order on Tuesday not only came as a breather but also expected to give a major boost to his political career.
Sidhu was virtually living a life of uncertainty with the criminal case hanging for almost 30 years. A jail sentence of more than two years would have put to an end his political inning as the law says that an MP, MlA or an MlC immediately loses his seat on conviction and is barred from contesting elections for six years, after the end of the sentence.
The Apex Court’s order has come as a major relief to Sidhu by acquitting him of the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
However, the Supreme Court has convicted Sidhu for “voluntarily hurting” a 65-year-old man and imposed Rs 1,000 fine on him — sparing him a jail term by reversing the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s verdict holding him guilty and awarded three-year jail sentence.
“Even as the Supreme Court has held Sidhu guilty, his political career remains safe. He does not need to resign and he even does not become ineligible to contest the elections as the Election law’s Section 8 says that a person becomes disqualified as a lawmaker and ineligible to contest elections only if he or she gets a jail term of two years or more,” a senior counsel told The Pioneer.
Already, Sidhu has made a reputation for himself as a firebrand leader going all out against his political rivals, especially the Badals and Majithia; besides speaking against his own government if needed.
Joining the Congress just before the 2017 assembly polls, Sidhu is counted among the top leaders of the party and even managed to get a Cabinet berth in his first stint as the MlA, while many senior Congress leaders were left out. Notably, his popularity and being three-time MP worked for him.
At the same time, Sidhu’s outspoken attitude had brought embarrassing moments for the Congress at many times, especially on SAD leader Bikram Majithia’s involvement in the drugs case, recovering ‘evaded’ tax amount from the Badals’ owned Fastway cables, among other things.
His style of functioning has not been appreciated by his ‘new’ party colleagues. The latest example being submitting the “unsigned” report of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Mining and that too without consulting and seeking approval of the fellow members.
Congress-led Punjab government’s stand against Sidhu in the Supreme Court sought seeking to upheld the High Court’s verdict of three-year jail imprisonment to Sidhu has raised questions over his relevance within the Congress.
It was, at that time, said that the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is finding it tough to contain the motor-mouth Sidhu.
However, Capt Amarinder has always said that Sidhu is “like my son”.
Defending the government’s stand in the Apex Court, Capt Amarinder had stated that they could not have backtracked from the stand it had taken earlier in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “Personally, I am in complete support of Sidhu and hope that the court would take into account his great contribution to the country while deciding his case,” he had said.
On Tuesday, he was among the first ones to congratulate Sidhu.
CONGRATUlATORY MESSAGES POUR IN
Soon after the Supreme Court convicted Navjot Singh Sidhu from the culpable homicide charges, the congratulatory messages pour in for the former cricketer.
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh took to Twitter to congratulate his cabinet minister. “I welcome SC judgement in the road rage case against @sherryontopp. His acquittal on culpable homicide charges shows justice has prevailed. I’d always maintained that there was nothing willful in his act, and the judges have also upheld the same. law has duly taken its course,” tweeted Capt Amarinder from his official Twitter handle.
Terming it as the victory for the people of Punjab, the state Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra and the state Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi also congratulated their cabinet colleague for a big relief in a three-decade old road rage case. Congratulating Sidhu, Mohindra said that justice has prevailed in the end while terming it as victory for the people of Punjab. “The law has taken its own course and justice has been done,”
said Sodhi. Punjab Congress president and Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar said that the truth has been victorious. Congratulating Sidhu, Jakhar said that he had got justice by being acquitted on culpable homicide charges.
CElEBRATIONS AT SIDHU’S HOUSE
Celebrations broke out at Navjot Sidhu’s Amritsar residence after the Supreme Court spared him a jail term in three-decade old road rage case.
Sweets were distributed and firecrackers were burst at his residence, located on the outskirts of the city at Holy City colony, with Sidhu's wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, daughter Rabia Sidhu, friends and relatives offering sweets to each other and danced to the beating of drums.
“The justice has been done. My father is an honest and innocent man. He could never hurt anybody as he is very kind hearted and humble,” said Sidhu's daughter Rabia.
Sidhu’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur, who is Punjab State Warehousing Corporation’s chairman, looked relieved. “Our lives are dedicated for Punjab,” she said.