AJAY KUMAR Vs. STATE OF JKARKHAND

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present appeals are directed against the judgment and order dated 28-8-2007 passed by the Jharkhand High Court in Death Reference No. 3 of 2007, whereby the High Court has confirmed the conviction and sentence of death passed by the trial court and dismissed the appeals filed by the present appellant.

(2.) These appeals have been filed by the appellant from jail. An amicus curiae was appointed to argue the case on behalf of the appellant, who is present today and who has argued the appeals before us. The appellant has been sentenced to be hanged till death for causing death of five persons. His conviction has been ordered under Section 302 IPC by the trial court and the said order of conviction and sentence has been upheld by the High Court.

(3.) The appellant was the servant in the house of Shri Dhirendra Kumar, a serving Indian Forest Officer. It has also come on record that the appellant was brought to the said house when he was only about 15 years of age and he was a servant in that house for about 10 years. On the fateful day, Shri Dhirendra Kumar had gone to Bangalore whereupon the allegation is that the appellant laced the food with pesticides and thereafter assaulted the five inmates of the house and even thereafter burnt them and in the process the entire house was damaged by fire.