'Can graver charges be imposed', SC seeks Sidhu's response in road rage incident
Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Feb, 2022 02:52 PM
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on a plea, filed by the kin of deceased, that he should be punished for an offence of more serious category than causing hurt, therefore leading to enhancement of punishment.
Sidhu has urged the apex court not to punish him with a jail term in a 1988 road rage case in which he was let off with a meagre fine of Rs 1,000.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Gurnam Singh's family, submitted that he has moved an application seeking enlargement of the scope of the notice issued. Luthra contended before a bench comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and S.K. Kaul that a blow was delivered on the victim, and the death due to cardiac arrest is not correct. The bench asked, "You are asking for a review, then you are also asking for a whole review of the judgment...you want us to re-appreciate the evidence?"
The bench told Luthra that he cannot keep expanding the scope of the notice. Senior advocate P. Chidambaram, representing Sidhu, contended that to review the judgement after 4 years in respect of the incident, which took place in 1988 especially if the notice has been restricted, and the scope of review should not be enlarged. Citing the apex court judgment, Chidambaram added that the court came to a conclusion after analysing the evidence, and it is not a case where his client has caused the death of the deceased.
The bench clarified that notice was issued on circulation and not after hearing the parties. Chidambaram opposed any further examination of evidence against his client, contending that scope of review petition is very limited. After hearing arguments, the top court sought response from Sidhu and posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks.
The top court was hearing a review petition against its 2018 verdict which reduced the sentence of Sidhu to Rs 1,000 fine from 3-year imprisonment in a road rage incident in which a person died.
This comes just days after the COP26 climate summit, where India pledged to cut emissions to net zero by 2070, reduce carbon emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030, and raise the share of renewables in the energy mix to 50 per cent, among others, before staging a last-minute climbdown opposing a commitment to "phase out" coal.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, a former judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court, to monitor the Lakhimpur Kheri violence probe and to ensure fairness and independence in the investigation.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday junked petitions against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order, which upheld the appointment of Dinkar Gupta as Punjab Director General of Police.
Punjab has always stood against external intrusions and hence must be considered as a security case, not just as an economic case at the time of budgetary allocation, state Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said here on Tuesday. Badal made the demand during a virtual discussion with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on stepping up investment, infrastructure and growth in the country.
After a lacklustre outing in the 2017 Assembly polls, Kejriwal's AAP has rejuvenated its efforts to make a political dent in Goa for the upcoming 2022 state Assembly polls.
Addressing the gathering during a function to mark the death anniversary of former Punjab minister and Congress leader Santokh Singh Randhawa here, the Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for re-opening the Kartarpur corridor ahead of Prakash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev.
