SC adjourns Sidhu's road rage case hearing to February 25
The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing in a 1988 road rage case against Navjot Singh Sidhu to February 25. Sidhu is the chief of Congress's Punjab unit and a frontrunner to become the party's Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming state elections. He had filed an adjournment plea in the SC, requesting the case to be heard four weeks later.
Why does this story matter?
The adjournment might be seen as a relief for Sidhu, days ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections. Sidhu, a former cricketer, is named in a three-decade-old road rage case where he was accused of assaulting a 65-year-old man. Till date, there are contrary claims as to what had led to the latter's death. Punjab is set to go to polls on February 20.
Victim's family had filed a review plea
On Thursday, the Supreme Court was hearing a plea to reconsider the quantum of punishment for Sidhu. It had been filed by the family members of the victim in the road rage incident. A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and SK Kaul has now posted the matter for hearing on February 25 in view of Sidhu's counsel's request.
Sidhu was acquitted of murder in 2018
Sidhu had allegedly hit a 65-year-old Gurnam Singh during an argument over a car parking in December 1988. He was accused of murder but maintained that Singh had died of a cardiac arrest. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had convicted Sidhu of culpable homicide and awarded him a three-year jail term. However, in 2018, the Supreme Court set aside that order.
Elections in Punjab
Sidhu, the face of a revolt against former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, is expecting to be announced as the Congress's CM face for upcoming polls. Elections in Punjab will be held in a single phase on February 20 and results will be declared on March 10. In the last state assembly election, the Congress had won 77 of 117 total seats.
