In Brief
A 65-year-old man died following a single punch to the head by 25-year-old Navjot Singh Sidhu (a professional cricketer) in a road-rage incident. Though the trial acquitted both accused, the High Court convicted Sidhu under Section 323 IPC (causing hurt) and imposed only a fine of Rs. 1,000. The Supreme Court rejected an attempt to broaden the review to reconsider the conviction itself but enhanced the sentence, imposing one year's rigorous imprisonment in addition to the fine, holding that the original sentence was manifestly inadequate, overlooked material facts (the accused's physical prowess, the victim's age and vulnerability), and failed to apply proper sentencing principles of proportionality and deterrence.
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