Highlights
- Navjot Singh Sidhu was involved in a road rage case in 1988.
- Sidhu was initially charged with murder but was later convicted of a lesser offense.
- The incident involved a heated argument turning physical, resulting in the death of Gurnam Singh.
- The legal proceedings against Sidhu lasted for several years and spanned multiple courts.
- SC eventually acquitted Sidhu of culpable homicide but convicted him of causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
In recent years, Navjot Singh Sidhu has been in the limelight due to his involvement in a road rage case. The incident, which took place in 1988, led to the death of a man, and Sidhu was subsequently charged with murder. The case has been a topic of much discussion and debate, with many people curious about the details of the incident and the legal proceedings that followed. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive look at the road rage case against Navjot Singh Sidhu.
The Incident:
On December 27, 1988, Navjot Singh Sidhu, along with his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu, were driving through the streets of Patiala in Punjab. They had stopped at a traffic light when a man named Gurnam Singh, who was driving a Maruti car, overtook them from the wrong side and stopped his car abruptly in front of them. This led to a heated argument between Sidhu, Sandhu, and Gurnam Singh. The argument turned physical, and Sidhu allegedly punched Gurnam Singh in the face, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head. Gurnam Singh was taken to the hospital, where he died a few hours later.
The Legal Proceedings:
Sidhu and Sandhu were initially charged with murder, but the charges were later reduced to culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They were acquitted by the trial court in 1999, but the state government appealed the verdict in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In 2006, the High Court convicted Sidhu of culpable homicide and sentenced him to three years in prison. Sidhu appealed the verdict in the Supreme Court, which stayed his sentence and released him on bail.
In 2007, the Supreme Court acquitted Sidhu of culpable homicide and convicted him of causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, sentencing him to a fine of Rs. 1000. The court observed that while Sidhu’s act of punching Gurnam Singh was not justified, it did not amount to murder or culpable homicide.
The road rage case against Navjot Singh Sidhu has been a long and complex legal battle that has spanned several years. While Sidhu was initially charged with murder, he was eventually acquitted of the charge and convicted of a lesser offense. The case has been a source of much debate and discussion, with many people divided over the verdicts and the legal proceedings that led to them.
graph TD; A[Navjot Singh Sidhu and Rupinder Singh Sandhu were driving through the streets of Patiala] –> B[Gurnam Singh overtook them from the wrong side and stopped his car abruptly in front of them]; B –> C[Heated argument turned physical]; C –> D[Sidhu allegedly punched Gurnam Singh in the face]; D –> E[Gurnam Singh fell to the ground and hit his head]; E –> F[Gurnam Singh died a few hours later]
