Once In The Race To Become Punjab CM, Navjot Singh Sidhu Is Doing Clerk's Job In Prison
Talk about how one's fortunes can change rapidly. In mid-2021, the then Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Navjot Singh Sidhu was the frontrunner to become the Chief Minister of the state after incumbent Captain Amarinder Singh was forced to resign.
Though Sidhu eventually did not get the CM post, he still remained the kingmaker in the party and his loyalist Charanjit Singh Channi was picked for the top job.
CM in waiting to prisoner no. 241383
But things only got worse for Sidhu from there. In the Punjab Assembly elections earlier this year, the party lost terribly and Sidhu himself also tasted defeat.
The former cricketer and TV host was also forced to step down as PPCC President.
Sidhu's fall from grace did not even stop there as the 58-year-old recently found himself in trouble with the law.
He was sentenced to a year in jail in a 1988 road rage case by the Supreme Court on May 19.
Sidhu who surrendered the next day has been lodged in the Patiala Central Jail.
Sidhu is doing clerk's job in jail
According to jail officials, Sidhu who is prisoner number 241383 placed in barrack number 7, will work as a clerk there.
He will be trained for three months and will be taught how to brief lengthy court judgments and compile jail records.
As per rules as convicted prisoners can work eight hours a day and they will be paid for it.
In Sidhu's case, he will not be paid for the first 90 days when he is undergoing training, after which he is entitled to a remuneration of Rs 90 a day.
Work from cell for Sidhu
Since he is a high-profile prisoner, Sidhu will work from the barracks due to security reasons and jail files will be sent to his cell.
On Monday, he was taken to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala under heavy security for medical tests following his request for a special diet in the jail owing to his health conditions.
According to his lawyer, a board of doctors carried out a detailed medical examination of Sidhu at the hospital.
"The board of doctors will see what special diet is required and then it will submit its report to a local court (in Patiala)," Verma told PTI.
Sidhu cannot consume wheat, sugar, 'maida' and some other food items.
"He can have berries, papaya, guava, double-toned milk and food items which do not have fibre and carbohydrates," Verma said.
The 58-year-old Congress leader suffers from medical conditions like embolism and has a liver ailment. In 2015, Sidhu had also undergone treatment for acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) at a hospital in Delhi.
1998 road rage case
Sidhu was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road rage case involving a man's death.
The apex court had sentenced Sidhu in the 34-year-old case, saying any undue sympathy in imposing an inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system and undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law.
A 65-year-old man, named Gurnam Singh, had died in the incident.
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