Road rage case: SC questions ‘belated’ plea against Sidhu
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the complainant against Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in the 1988 road rage case to explain why he raked up the cricketer-turned-politician’s TV interview after an “inordinate delay” of 12 years.A Bench of Justice J Chelameswar and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul also asked the senior advocates representing the complainant to throw light on the legal provisions under which such a plea could be allowed at the appellate stage in the Supreme Court.Senior counsel Siddharth Luthra said the court could do it under Section 391 of the CrPC, which allows an appellate court to take further evidence on record.The heir of complainant Jaswinder Singh (now deceased) had last week filed a fresh plea in the apex court, accusing Sidhu of having admitted his guilt in the interview given to India TV. While the plea contended that the interview was uploaded on YouTube in 2010, senior counsel RS Cheema, representing Sidhu, pointed out that it dated back to 2006, much before the Punjab and Haryana High Court pronounced its verdict, and couldn’t be relied upon at this stage.Cheema said such a plea could not be entertained after the trial was over and the case was at the stage of appeal in the SC. As the arguments remained inconclusive, the Bench would hear both sides further on Wednesday.The application had alleged that during the interview on TV show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’, which was re-telecast on April 4, Sidhu “had admitted not only to the involvement of both accused in the brawl on the date of the incident (December 27, 1988) but also admitted and accepted hitting victim Gurnam Singh with fist blows, resulting in his death.”
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