Navjot Singh Sidhu, a cricketer-turned-politician, surrendered before the court of Patiala’s chief judicial magistrate on Friday after a last attempt to get some time to surrender failed. In a 1988 road rage case, the former minister and ex-Punjab Congress chairman was sentenced to one year in prison by the Supreme Court on Thursday, three years after being let off with a meager $1,000 fine.
Sidhu left his house at 3.50 p.m. and arrived at the court complex with a group of supporters. He submitted to the judge, who promptly began the process of incarcerating Sidhu.
Sidhu drove to the court in an SUV. A few of his supporters had also turned up at his residence on Friday morning, while his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu had reached the Patiala residence on Thursday night.
Sidhu is expected to be detained at Patiala Central Jail, which has been preparing for the arrival of the new convict. Verinder Kumar, Punjab’s additional director general of police, paid a quick visit to the prison on Friday morning to assess the security arrangements near the barrack where Sidhu is anticipated to be held.
Sidhu attempted to postpone his surrender earlier in the day when senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi contacted the Supreme Court, requesting that the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana provide him more time to surrender on medical grounds.
