Chances of filing curative plea by Navjot Sidhu low: Petitioners' counsel

Tribune News Service

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, May 19

Gurdaspur-based advocate Sudhir Walia, who represented the petitioners in the Navjot Singh Sidhu case, said “crime does not die”, referring to the 34-year wait his clients had to endure for justice.

Took on mighty, got justice

A small man was fighting a highly influential and powerful man. The petitioner has finally got justice. — Sudhir Walia, Gurdaspur-based advocate

Justice delivered

Long-awaited justice has been done to aggrieved family with the SC’s decision. — Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD President

SC to party’s rescue

What Cong couldn’t do, the SC has done for it. I had asked Rahul to expel Jakhar and Sidhu from the party. — Sukhjinder Randhawa, Congress

Sidhu has been sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment in a road rage case at Patiala in 1988. Incidentally, Sidhu had returned to the city for a short stay after playing a Test match against the touring New Zealand team. The match was played in Bengaluru and Sidhu had scored 116.

Minutes after he learnt Gurnam Singh (65) had died after the assault, Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu went into hiding. Rupinder Singh Sandhu, alias Bunny, was with him when the incident took place.

On the option before Sidhu of filing a curative petition in the Supreme Court, Walia claimed “he definitely has the option, but chances of his filing such a petition are rare”. He, however, did not elaborate on why Sidhu would not use this option.

Legal experts claim a curative petition is one that requests the court to review its decision. “It’s the last chance available even after the review petition has been dismissed or exhausted,” said Walia.

“This turned out to be a case where justice was delayed but not denied. It’s also a case where a small man was fighting a highly influential and powerful man. The petitioner has finally got justice. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” he said.

Walia further said he had gone through the cause list yesterday and when he learnt Sidhu’s case would come up today, he immediately called the petitioner. “I spoke to them in the morning. They were happy that justice had finally been served. The dead cannot cry for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so for them,” maintained Walia.

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