Sidhu surrenders in road rage case, sent to Patiala prison
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu surrendered before a court here on Friday, a day after being sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road rage death case.
“He surrendered before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Amit Malhan,” said senior advocate HPS Verma, who accompanied Sidhu to the court.
The former Punjab Congress president surrendered shortly after 4 pm, and was taken for the mandatory medical examination, conducted at the Mata Kaushalya Hospital. After the medical check-up, he was lodged in the Patiala Central Jail.
Some party leaders including Navtej Singh Cheema, Ashwani Sekhri and Sidhu’s supporters accompanied him from his home to the court, which is close to his residence.
Cheema drove Sidhu, who was dressed in a blue-coloured ‘pathani suit’, to the court in an SUV.
This came just hours after the former Punjab Congress president approached the Supreme Court seeking a few week to surrender to serve the imprisonment.
The top court bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and J B Pardiwala told senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Sidhu, that the judgment on one-year rigorous imprisonment was passed by a special bench, and that he can file the application and mention it before the Chief Justice.
Singhvi said he will try and mention the matter before the Chief Justice.
Back in Patiala, some former MLAs and supporters turned up at Sidhu’s residence in the morning to show their support, but no prominent Congress leader from the state unit was seen either at his home or at the court with him.
However, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and senior leader Partap Singh Bajwa expressed their support to Sidhu on social media, with both saying in their tweets that while they respect the Supreme Court verdict, they stand by Sidhu and his family.