Sidhu gets 3 years for homicide

CHANDIGARH, India (Reuters) - Former Indian cricketer and lawmaker Navjot Singh Sidhu was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for a road-rage killing 18 years ago, the second high-profile politician to be jailed in as many days. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, however, suspended the sentence until Jan. 31, giving Sidhu, who is also a popular TV host and commentator, time to appeal. The court had last week found 43-year-old Sidhu guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Sidhu was involved in a car accident in his hometown of Patiala in Punjab in 1988. The batsman was accused of getting into a fight with the occupant of the other car and beating him up, leading to his death. Sidhu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected to the lower house of parliament in 2004. He quit his seat after his conviction last week.

On Tuesday, a former cabinet minister was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the kidnap and murder of an aide.