Chandigarh: Cricketer-turned-politician and former head of Punjab Congress Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was sentenced to one-year in jail by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road-rage case last year, is expected to walk out of Patiala Central Jail Saturday.
Sidhu, who served 10 months in prison, was granted remission on the ground of good behaviour.
Confirming the development, Punjab cabinet minister Aman Arora told media persons that a decision to this effect had been taken in the state cabinet meeting Friday that was held to consider remission to various categories of prisoners.
According to the prison rules, an inmate is entitled to three days of remission for every month of sentence, which translates into 45 days in case of a one-year sentence. Sidhu was to complete his sentence on 16 May.
“In all those cases where the prisoners were sentenced to one-year of jail, the government has, in accordance with rules, remitted a month-and-a-half of Sidhu’s sentence, and he is likely to be released tomorrow,” said Arora.
The same information was shared from Sidhu’s Twitter handle.
“This is to inform everyone that Sardar Navjot Singh Sidhu will be released from Patiala Jail tomorrow. (As informed by the concerned authorities).”
This is to inform everyone that Sardar Navjot Singh Sidhu will be released from Patiala Jail tomorrow.
(As informed by the concerned authorities).
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) March 31, 2023
There has been no official reaction from the party regarding Sidhu’s release or if any special arrangements have been made to receive him outside the Patiala jail.
Also Read: Sidhu gets year in jail for 1988 road rage, SC cites young cricketer’s ‘edge’ over elderly victim
The 1988 road-rage case
Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu were convicted in a 1988 road-rage case that resulted in the death of 65-year-old Gurnam Singh, who was allegedly beaten up by Sidhu. Singh was then rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
In May last year, a division bench of the Supreme Court had sentenced Sidhu to one-year imprisonment. The bench was hearing a review petition filed by Gurnam Singh’s family who had challenged an earlier order of the Supreme Court that had let off Sidhu in the case.
In January this year, there were reports that Sidhu would be released from prison along with 50 other jail inmates on the eve of Republic Day. But he was not among those granted remission, leading to a bitter reaction by Sidhu’s wife on Twitter.
“Navjot Sidhu falls in the category of a dangerous animal so the government does not want to extend the 75th year of Independence relief to him. You are all requested to stay away from him,” she had tweeted.
Last week, Sidhu’s wife tweeted that she had been diagnosed with second stage invasive cancer.
Under Sidhu’s presidency, Punjab Congress suffered a massive drubbing during the state assembly elections in March last year, winning only 18 seats in the 117-seat assembly. The Congress had even lost Uttarakhand, Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur elections.
Following the loss, Sidhu, along with the other state chiefs, was asked to resign. Sidhu was replaced by former cabinet minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as state party chief in April.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
Also Read: Punjab sees violent struggle every 2 decades. But a few overseas Sikhs can’t bring terrorism back