Navjot Singh Sidhu may be released from Patiala Central Jail on Saturday

PATIALA: Former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu is expected to be released from Patiala Central Jail by Saturday and a tweet from Navjot Singh Sidhu’s account was also shared on Friday in this regard.
HPS Verma, counsel for Navjot Sidhu in Patiala, said, "He is expected to be released by tomorrow (April 1)".

The jail authorities at Patiala Central Jail, however, are yet to confirm his release and claimed they haven’t got any release orders so far.
Jail superintendent MS Tiwana said, "We haven’t got any orders so far regarding this matter. However we’ll update you on this by (Friday) evening."
Sidhu had worked as a clerk inside Patiala jail while undergoing his imprisonment.
He refused to meet incumbent Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring a few months ago during his visit.

Earlier, Sidhu’s release was expected on this Republic Day under the Center's Amrit Mahotsav Scheme as by then he had completed his 66 per cent sentence with good conduct.
Sidhu’s supporters in Patiala, including the former district president Narinder Lali, had also made preparations for his welcome, but he wasn’t released following which some Congress leaders, including Shamsher Singh Dullo, had condemned the state government for not releasing him despite his good conduct.
On May 20, Sidhu had surrendered before trial court and was sent to Patiala Central Jail a day after the Supreme court had announced him to undergo one-year rigorous imprisonment in a 1988 road rage case in which elderly man died of fist blow.
Sidhu later had sought special diet provision from the court on grounds that he has been facing health issues, including embolism and a liver ailment, following which a board of directors on court’s directions examined Sidhu and recommended him a special diet.
In July last year, Sidhu also lodged a complaint with the jail authorities alleging that his canteen card was misused by his co-inmates to whom he gave his card to bring some special diet recommended by the board of doctors.
The inmate was shifted after Sidhu’s complaint.
Narinder Verma Lali, former DCC Patiala president who was expelled from the party in October last year by Raja Warring for six years, said, "We have made preparations for a warm welcome for Sidhu. On this Republic Day also we had done preparations and installed around 250 hoardings in the city. But the Patiala Municipal Corporation officials had then removed all the welcome posters and hoardings in the wee hours on January 26".
DCC Patiala president Naresh Duggal, who was appointed by state president Raja Warring, said, "So far, we haven’t got any message from the party high command in Punjab regarding the welcome of Sidhu or about his release."