SARO RANA Vs. STATE OF JHARKHAND

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Appelants. have preferred this appeal against the judgment of conviction and order of sentence dated 30th April, 2002 passed by Shri Sita Ram Mahato. learned 1st Additional Sessions Judge, Deoghar in Sessions Trial No. 47 of 2001/19 of 2001 convicting the appellants under Section 304 B IPC and sentencing to undergo R. I. for life and further convicting them under Section 201/34 [PC. but no separate sentence under the said section was passed against the appellants.

(2.) The prosecution case has arisen on the written information (Ext. 1) lodged bv informant Leela Devi (PW 11) on 27-7-2000 at 15.45 alleging therein that her daughter Renu Devi (since deceased) was married with appellant No. 2 Shyam Sundar Rana of Kurmidih in the month of May. 1997. Shyam Sundar Rana was demanding money for construction of house. As the informant was unable to pay, hence on 25-7-2000 appellant No. 2 Shyam Sunder Rana and his family members, who are the remaining appellants, murdered Renu Devi and threw her dead body into the well. They also burnt the dead body. All the appellants are resident of village Kurmidih within the jurisdiction of Madhupur P.S., District Deoghar.

(3.) Prosecution examined 14 witnesses in order to support its case. PW. 1 Sukhsagar Choudhary, PW. 2 Jaldhar Rana, PW. 3, Naresh Rana. PW. 4. Bal Kishan Bhaiya and PW. 5 Nawal Singh are hostile witnesses. PW. 6 Kunt! Kumari and PW. 7 Sukhdeo Sharma are the eyewitnesses who have deposed that Renu Devi fell down into the well while taking bath along with PW. 6. PW. 7 Sukhdeo Sharma rushed there and saw Renu Devi fallen down into the well and she had died. The information was given to her parents by Shyam Sundar Rana himself. PW. 8 Rajesh Prasad Sharma is the brother of the deceased. PW. 9 Rajendra Prasad Sharma received information that Renu Devi is serious. PW. 10 Ram Lal Sharma, PW. 11 Leela Devi (informant and mother of the deceased). PW. 13 Mahendra Sharma (uncle of the deceased) and PW. 14 Manu Kumar Sharma (brother of the deceased) have developed the prosecution case and have alleged regarding demand of money and for non-fulfilment of the demand, torturing Renu Devi causing her death and throwing the dead body into the well. PW. 12 Kaushalendra Kumar Jha is the Investigating Officer of this case.