Date:07/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/07/stories/2006120707320100.htm

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Three-year jail term for Sidhu, associate

Staff Correspondent

Term suspended till January 31 to allow them to appeal to Supreme Court

CHANDIGARH: Cricketer-turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu and his associate, Rupinder Singh Sandhu, were on Wednesday awarded three-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1 lakh each by a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a 1988 road rage case.

Justices Mehtab Singh Gill and Baldev Singh also ordered the suspension of the sentence till January 31, 2007, to allow them to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The court directed Sidhu and Sandhu to furnish bail bonds of Rs. 10,000 each along with sureties for similar amounts.

In case of failure to make these payments, they would have to serve another six months in prison. However, for the time being, both would not be in jail.

The court awarded a separate jail term of three months to Sandhu, who was also found guilty under Section 323 of the IPC for causing injury to a witness.

He was directed to pay Rs. 90,000 out of the fine to the widow of Gurnam Singh and Rs. 10,000 to Jaswinder Singh, the complainant.