New Delhi, Jan 12
The Supreme Court Friday granted bail to cricketer-turned-politician
Navjot Singh Sidhu, a day after he was sent to jail for causing the
death of a Patiala motorist during a quarrel 18 years ago.
A bench of Justice G.P. Mathur and Justice L.S. Panta granted bail
to the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP while admitting his
special leave petition challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court
judgement that slapped on him a three-year imprisonment.
The bench issued notice to the Punjab government and the complainant
on Sidhu's plea seeking suspension of the conviction and sentence to
enable him to contest the by-polls to the Amritsar Lok Sabha
constituency, which he vacated following his conviction.
Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu were sentenced to
rigorous imprisonment for three years by the high court, holding
them responsible for causing the death of Gurnam Singh in 1988 by
giving him a blow on his cheek. They were charged with culpable
homicide not amounting to murder
Appearing for the 43-year-old cricket commentator, senior counsel
Harish Salve said the petitioner had already surrendered before the
trial court pursuant to the high court order. He said that unless
the conviction was also stayed, Sidhu could not contest the
elections. However, the bench told counsel that conviction could not
be stayed without a proper hearing and notice to the state
government.
Accordingly the bench posted the case for further hearing on Jan 17.
In his petition, Sidhu said the high court had erred by reversing
the acquittal order passed by the trial court. He said it should
refrain from disturbing the finding of facts arrived at by the trial
court unless the same suffered from the vice of perversity or
unreasonableness.
He said the view of the trial court as to the credibility of
witnesses must be given proper weight and consideration and "even if
the high court feels that on the material on record, a different
view was also possible on that fact it would not justify
interference with the judgement of acquittal."
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