Supreme Court to hear Sidhu's appeal on Jan 12

New Delhi, Jan 5: The Supreme Court has fixed January 12 as the day for hearing former Amritsar MP and former test cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu's appeal against his conviction in a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Sidhu, along with his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu, was sentenced to 3 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and fined Rs 1 lakh by Punjab and Haryana High Court for causing the death of one Gurnam Singh in 1988 in Patiala after an altercation over parking.

Sidhu, earlier acquitted by the trial court was found guilty by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which reversed his acquittal and convicted him and his accomplice Sandhu for an offence under Section 304 part I of IPC (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatagi today told a bench comprising Justices K G Balakrishnan and D K Jain that the byelection to the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, vacated by his client Sidhu, following his conviction, was to be held along with Punjab assembly elections on February 13.

The time schedule for the election has already been announced by the Election Commissioner and the last date for filing of nomination is January 18.

The High Court had granted Sidhu, who now wants to contest the byelection to Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, time till January 31 to file an appeal against the judgement in the Supreme Court.

If the sentence is not stayed by the apex court before January 31, Sidhu will not be able to contest the election. Also, if it does not put stay on the High court judgement at all, he and Sandhu will have to undergo three years rigorous imprisonment.

Sidhu in his appeal in the Supreme Court has contended the High Court has committed a mistake by reversing the order of his acquittal after a lapse of 18 long years and it is a settled law that an order of acquittal can be interfered with only under compelling circumstances, which were not there in this case.

UNI