RAGHAVAN ALIAS RAGHAVALU Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This appeal is directed against the judgment convicting the appellant Raghavalu alias Raghavan for the offence under S. 302, I.P.C. to undergo life imprisonment and for the offence under S. 379, I.P.C. to undergo three years and the sentence were directed to run concurrently in S.C. No. 143/1986 on the file of the Sessions Court, Chengalpattu.

(2.) The charge against the appellant is that on 23-4-1985 at about 10.00 p.m. in Room No. 4, Town Lodge, Nellurkkara Street, Kancheepuram, the appellant caused the death of the deceased Pottiammal alias Lakshmiammal by compressing her neck with his hands and removed the jewels from the body of the deceased weighing 3 1/2 sovereigns worth about Rs. 6,000/- and snatched her ear-studs causing injuries to her ears and fled away.

(3.) The short facts leading to the conviction could be summarised as follows :-The deceased Pottiammal alias Lakshmi Ammal hailed from Adhivarapalli village in the hamlet of Eravadipalayam of Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. Her husband Sippala Venkatrayalu expired six months prior to the occurrence. They had no issues. After the death of her husband, Pottiammal, widow had beenstaying alone in the house of her husband. P.W. 3 Chengalvarayulu is the nephew of the deceased who is residing in the house situated next to the house of the deceased. P.W. 4 Ramalakshmi Ammal, the sister of the deceased is the resident of Tirupathi. The house of the mother of the deceased is situated in the village Somale. The deceased used to wear nose-screw, ear-stud, gold ring and gold attikai. P.W. 5 Sippala Lakshmi Ammal is residing at Eravadipalayam which is situated one furlong away from the house of the deceased. P.W. 6 Reddy Ammal is having a tea-shop at cross-road at the end of Eravadipalayam near bus-stand.