The advocate who represented cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu in the 1988 road rage case today expressed satisfaction over the Supreme Court verdict quashing the jail term of the Punjab minister and letting him off with a fine of Rs 1,000.
Nidhesh Gupta said it was a "great judgement" by the apex court which has rightly acquitted the Congress leader of the offences of murder and culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the IPC.
"The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of the State. It has also acquitted him (Sidhu) under 304 (II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC," he said.
The Supreme Court set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court order convicting Sidhu of culpable homicide and awarding him three-years jail term in the 30-year old road rage case, but held him guilty of causing hurt to a senior citizen.
It, however, exonerated Sidhu's aide Rupinder Singh Sandhu, who was also awarded a three-year jail term by the high court in the case.
The apex court's verdict came on the appeal filed by Sidhu and Sandhu, challenging the high court's 2006 judgment convicting them. A trial court had acquitted Sidhu in 1999.
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