On Thursday, Punjab government sought the conviction of Sidhu in a 30-year-old case of road rage, a development which startled many.

Reacting strongly after his own government recommended that he be convicted in the three-decade-old case, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said that he has been ‘backstabbed’. Sidhu made his statement to CNN News 18. On Thursday, Punjab government sought the conviction of Sidhu in a 30-year-old case of road rage, a development which startled many. The Punjab government counsel told the Supreme Court yesterday that the statement given by Sidhu denying his involvement in 1988 road rage case was false.

Sidhu, who was last year appointed as a minister in the state government, had moved the Supreme court challenging Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order that sentenced him and co-accused Rupinder Singh Sandhu to three years in jail. During the hearing on March 22, the cricketer-turned-politician was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Sidhu had submitted that he is innocent.

Punjab government lawyer, advocate Sanram Singh Saron, said in court that there is not a single evidence which suggests that the cause of death was cardiac arrest and not brain hemorrhage as concluded by the trial court. He further said that the trial court verdict was rightly set aside by the High Court. “Accused A1 (Navjot Singh Sidhu) had given fist blow to deceased Gurnam Singh leading to his death through brain hemorrhage,” he said.

In his arguments, Saron further said the trial court was wrong in its finding the man died of cardiac arrest and not brain hemorrhage. Citing the inquest report, the state government said that two prosecution witnesses – Jaswinder Singh and Avtar Singh – were with Gurnam Singh when he was taken to the hospital and even there statements were recorded.

Sidhu, who earlier found guilty of beating up the victim, said the blow was not fatal and the latter died of heart attack. Sidhu said that it was also proven by the medical report that the victim, Gurnam Singh, died due to sudden heart failure.