GELLAPUDI SATYAM Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This appeal is directed against the judgment of the Assistant Sessions Judge at Khammam dated 17-9-1997 rendered in Sessions Case No. 270 of 1994 under which the appellant herein has been convicted for the offence under Section 307 of IPC and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 10 years.

(2.) The facts of the case as brought out during the evidence may be stated briefly as follows :

(3.) The de facto complainant P.W. 1 (victim) is a rickshaw puller. He was engaged by the accused to transport earthen pots for the whole day on 13-4-1994. At the end of the work, P.W. 1 took the accused to his house in his rickshaw. P.W. 1 demanded remuneration for his work from the accused. On this, the accused got enraged and abused P.W. 1 and also slapped him. When P.W. 1 protested, the accused went inside his house and brought a tin of kerosene oil and poured kerosene on P.W. 1 and lit a match and set fire to P.W. 1. When P.W. 1 raised cries, some neighbours went to the scene and one of them, P.W. 3, helped P.W. 1 in putting off fire by wrapping a blanket over him. P.W. 5 also tried to extinguish the fire by pouring sand on P.W. 1. Thereafter, P.W. 1 ran from the scene and reached the police station. He was sent to the hospital where he was treated by the Doctor, P.W. 7. At the hospital, P.W. 1's statement was recorded by P.W. 9 the head constable at Khammam I Town P. S. who also recorded the statement of P.W. 1 in Ex. P-1. On the basis of this statement, the FIR, Ex. P-6, was registered at the said police station. P.W. 9 conducted a part of investigation. P.W. 9 went to the scene of offence and conducted a panchanama of scene of offence attested by P.W. 6, half burnt currency notes, Mos. 1 to 4, partial burnt pieces of human skin, MO5, and a chappal belonging to P.W. 1 were seized from the said scene of offence under panchanama Ex. P-4. P.W. 2, the wife of P.W. 1, was informed about the incident in the night, P.W. 1 narrated the above incident to her.