MANJIT SINGH @ LADDI Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS judgment shall dispose of the above referred two appeals of the appellants vide which they have challenged the judgment dated 18.07.2013 and order of sentence of even date whereby appellants have been held guilty, convicted and and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 2,500/ - and in default of payment of fine, to further undergo simple imprisonment for a period of one month under Section 302 of IPC and further sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for three years and to pay a fine of Rs. 1,500/ - and in default of payment of fine, to further undergo simple imprisonment for a period of one month under Section 201 of IPC.

(2.) BRIEF facts for the decision of present appeals are that on 18.09.2008 complainant Surat Singh reported to the police that his younger son Parminder Singh @ Sonu was doing the job of Photography and Videography. On 16.09.2008 at about 10.00 P.M., he had left his residential house after telling his mother Smt. Balbir Kaur that he was going to take back his Camera. However, Parminder Singh @ Sonu had not come back. He was having two mobile phones of make NOKIA having Nos.9464437424 and 9872189644. They tried to contact Parminder Singh but he could not be contacted. They made search at their own level at different places. During the process, complainant along with Daljit Singh was going towards Patti drain from village Kandiala towards Sarhali Mand and at a distance of 200 meters from Sarhali Mand, they found the dead body of Parminder Singh lying in the drain towards its eastern side.

(3.) THE dead body was brought out of water. At that time, there were three injuries on his body i.e. towards right side of his neck, left cheek and under the ear. As per complainant, Parminder Singh had been killed by some persons and thereafter his body was thrown into the water to destroy the evidence. It had come in the investigation that murder of Parminder Singh @ Sonu was committed by accused Manjit Singh @ Laddi, Gursahib Singh @ Saaba and Varinder Singh, who were lastly seen with Parminder Singh @ Sonu by Heera Singh near the drain where the dead body was found floating in the water. It had also come in the investigation that Manjit Singh @ Laddi had given injury with baseball on the head of deceased whereas accused Gursahib Singh @ Saaba had given knife blows on the neck and chest of deceased and accused Varinder Singh had taken the deceased into grip when the injuries were caused by accused Manjit Singh and Gursahib Singh. Thereafter, the dead body was thrown in the drain of Sarhali Mand.