Former cricketer and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu is likely released from Patiala jail on April 1. The 59-year-old had been imprisoned since May 20, 2022, after surrendering before a local court. He was serving a one-year sentence in a 1988 road rage case that led to the death of a 65-year-old man named Gurnam Singh.
Sidhu, who was once a hopeful for the post of Punjab Chief Minister, was sentenced to one year of ‘rigorous imprisonment’ by the Supreme Court last year. The court had noted that imposing an inadequate sentence would harm the justice system and undermine public confidence in the efficacy of the law.
In a post shared on his official Twitter handle, it was announced that Sidhu would be released from Patiala Jail on April 1. His counsel HPS Varma also confirmed this news on Friday.
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During his time in prison, Sidhu had been appointed as an assistant to do clerical work at the Patiala central prison. His supporters had previously made preparations for his early release during Republic Day, but there was no official word from the state government at the time.
In February of this year, Punjab Congress Chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring appealed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to consider an early release for Sidhu.
Last week, Sidhu’s wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, revealed that she had been diagnosed with stage 2 cancer and had undergone surgery. She also penned a heartfelt note for her husband, stating that he was in prison for a crime he had not committed and asking for forgiveness for all involved.
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