Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu sentenced 1 year rigorous imprisonment in a road rage case

Supreme Court, on Thursday (May 19), sentenced one-year rigorous imprisonment to former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu in an old assault case which was going on since 1988. On December 27, 1988, the then cricketer had allegedly hit a person named Gurnam Singh on his head leading to the latter’s death as well. Meanwhile, a bench of justices AM Khanwilkar and SK Kaul rejected the plea to charge Sidhu under Section 304A of IPC which amounts to murder.

Four years ago, in 2018, Navjot Singh Sidhu was found guilty in the case of voluntarily hurting an individual. But he was released from the culpable homicide charges. The court had then slapped a fine of INR 1000 on Sidhu. Interestingly, the Sessions Court Judge of Patiala had acquitted the now cricketer-turned-politician in September 1999 due to a lack of evidence in the case and the benefit of doubt was given in Sidhu’s favour.

The victim’s family had then challenged the decision and moved to the Punjab and Haryana High Court where, in 2006, Navjot Singh Sidhu was convicted and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. Sidhu had then challenged this order in the Supreme Court that has now reduced his punishment to 1 year according to the Times of India.

Navjot Singh Sidhu played 51 Tests and 136 ODIs for India

Navjot Singh Sidhu played for as many as 16 years for India after making his international debut in 1983. He featured in 51 Tests and 136 One-Day Internationals scoring 3202 and 4413 runs respectively in the two formats. Overall, he smacked 15 centuries in his international career to go with 48 half-centuries. Overall, the now 58-year-old Sidhu played 157 first-class and 205 List-A in his career amassing 16657 runs and smashing 37 tons and 105 fifties.

After retiring from the sport, Sidhu entered politics contesting election for Congress and has been in the field since then for the last few years as well. He recently stepped down from his position of Congress President in Punjab.