SIVAKANDAN Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Criminal Appeal Nos.168 of 2020, 180 of 2020 and 204 of 2020 have been filed by A5, A1 and A4 respectively, against the judgment and order passed by the Principal Sessions Judge, Tirunelveli, made in S.C.No.600 of 2017, dtd. 12/2/2020, convicting each of the accused personsfor offence under Sec. 302 IPC and sentencing each of them to undergo Life Imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs.10,000.00each, in default, to undergo one year Rigorous Imprisonment.

(2.) Criminal Appeal No.386 of 2021 has been filed by the State challenging the acquittal of A2, A3 and A6 from all charges and challenging the acquittal of A1, A4 and A5 from all other charges except under Sec. 302 IPC.

(3.) The case of the prosecution is that there were two groups, one headed by Sathasivam and the other headed by A2-Udayakumar and A3-Udayasankar. A2 is an advocate and A3 was working as Sub Inspector of Police in Kanyakumari district. A1,A2 and A3 are relatives and the deceased accused Jegan alias Jagatsingh Sowhan, A5 to A7 are their friends. Deceased Manikandan alias Ayyappan belongs to the Sadasivam group. There was enmity between Sadasivam and Udayakumar regarding the administration of temple undertaken by Irulappapuram Siva Devasthanam Committee as well as inthe management of Kamarajar Polytechnic at Palavilai.