After about 10 months, the authorities released Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu from Patiala Central jail. Authorities released the leader due to his good behavior. Central jail released the cricketer-turned-politician almost two months before completing a one-year sentence in a road rage case.
The Supreme Court sentenced the former state Congress chief to one-year rigorous imprisonment. The court gave the judgment over the death of 65-year-old Gurnam Singh in a road rage case in 1988. The authorities jailed the leader on May 20 last year.
Soon after leaving jail in Punjab’s Patiala, Navjot Singh Sidhu said: “Democracy is in chains,” taking an apparent swipe at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sidhu once said, “Punjab is the shield of this country. When dictatorship came in this country, a revolution also came, led by Rahul Gandhi”.
“There is a conspiracy to impose President’s rule in Punjab. They are trying to weaken Punjab. I stand like a wall with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and every Congress worker,” Mr. Sidhu said.
He alleged the government wanted the media to leave before releasing him. He alleged the center wants to impose President’s rule in the state where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a bitter rival of the BJP, is in power.
Punjab Minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa said on Friday that the Punjab government has no objection to Sidhu’s release. “The issue of the release of prisoners whose sentence has been completed is approved by the cabinet. The authorities will release those who have completed their sentence” Jimpa said.
The Supreme Court allowed the review application on the issue of the sentence against Sidhu. “We have allowed review application on the issue of sentence. In addition to the fine imposed, we impose a sentence of imprisonment of one year to be undergone by respondent Sidhu,” the court said. The order was delivered by a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul.
Sidhu’s release has been met with mixed reactions from political leaders and citizens alike. Some have praised his release as a victory for justice and democracy, while others have criticized it as a failure of the legal system.
Sidhu’s future plans are currently unknown, but many speculate that he will continue to be an active voice in Indian politics and may even run for office again in the future.