Conviction can't be stayed to contest election: SC

New Delhi, Sep 21 (UNI) The Supreme Court has made it clear that conviction of a person cannot be stayed just to enable him or her to contest election and such relief depends only on the gravity of the offence.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan on Friday made it clear that the petitioner Jaspal Singh Arora from Madhya Pradesh has been convicted under section 27 of the Arms Act for permitting the use of his licensed revolver for murder and therefore his conviction cannot be stayed.

Counsel for the petitioner relied on Supreme Court's order in the case of former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu whose conviction in a road rage case was stayed by the court to enable him to contest a byelection from Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

Sidhu was sentenced to three years imprisonment for beating a person after an altercation over parking in Patiala.

The person later died.

The apex court, however, made it clear that the weapon of the petitioner in the present case was permitted to be used for murdering a person and this cannot be taken lightly.

UNI XC ARB RP GC1905