Sidhu admitted guilt in TV interview, claim road rage victim’s family

Friday, 06/04/2018

https://dailypost.in/news/punjab/sidhu-admitted-guilt-tv-interview-victims/

NEW DELHI: An interview given to a TV channel eight years ago appears to be creating fresh troublefor minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. In a new twist in 1988 road rage case against Sidhu, the legal heirs of the complainant in the case have filed a fresh plea in the Supreme Court accusing the cricketer-turned-politician of having admitted his guilt in the interview given to ‘India TV’ in 2010.

The application alleged that during the said interview given to India TV show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ hosted by journalist Rajat Sharma eight years ago and re-telecast last night at 10 pm, Sidhu “had admitted not only to the involvement of both the accused in the brawl on the date of the incident but also admitted and accepted hitting the victim Gurnam Singh with fist blows resulting in his death”.

The complainant – who is seeking the conviction of both the accused for murder – submitted a CD and a YouTube link of the interview and sought the court’s permission to place it on record terming it “a piece of evidence which is absolutely vital and necessary for complete elucidation of the truth”. Describing the interview as an extra-judicial confession”, the applicant said it could not be produced earlier as the same has only now come to his knowledge.

He said it was necessary, expedient and in the interest of justice” that the additional evidence be taken on record and considered in deciding the criminal appeal. The complainant was represented by senior advocates Ranjit Kumar, Siddharth Luthra and advocate Sudhir Walia. On behalf of Sidhu, senior counsel RS Cheema opposed it on the ground that such a plea cannot be entertained after the trial was over and the case was at the stage of appeal in the Supreme Court. If at all it had to be filed, it should have been filed before the trial court or at best the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

“Do you want the case to be remanded back to trial court,” asked a bench of Justice J Chelames war and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul. However, the bench said it would hear both the sides on maintainability of the application on Tuesday. According to the prosecution, Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu were allegedly present in a Gypsy parked near Sheranwala Gate Crossing on December 27, 1988 while Gumam Singh (the deceased) was on his way to a bank in a Manuti car with two others.