The Supreme Court has acquitted 18 persons, who were convicted in an attempt to murder case of 2015 related to a long-standing land dispute.
The Bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Mehta recently passed the order on a petition challenging the February 19, 2024 verdict of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which upheld the conviction of accused for five years under Sections 148, 149, 307, 323, 324, 325, 341 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860.
After perusing the material on record, the Apex Court observed that it did not find any reason to interfere with the conviction order passed by the trial court and later upheld by the High Court.
The Bench, however, said that considering the facts and circumstances of the case, it would reduce the sentence awarded to the period already undergone by each of the accused. The appellants in jail should be released forthwith, if not wanted in any other case, it added.
As per the appellants, the land, which had long been the source of dispute between them and the complainants, had been allotted to them legally and they were lawful owners of the same.
On October 5, 2015, the appellants said they were working on the field preparing it for Rabbi season, when the complainants came there on tractor and other vehicles, armed with weapons. The complainants and the accused engaged in a heated altercation and in the ensuing fight, some of the complainants sustained injuries.
They filed a complaint against the appellants with the Pehowa police station in district Kurukshetra of Punjab on the basis of which an FIR was registered on the same day against them.
On March 11, 2022, the trial court convicted all the accused under Sections 148, 149, 341, 323, 324, 325, 307 and 427 of IPC.
The judgment was upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on February 19, 2024. Aggrieved by the order of the High Court, the appellants moved the Supreme Court by way of a special leave petition.
Advocate-on-Record (AoR) Mohd Fuzail Khan and Advocate Shisba Chawla appeared for the petitioners/appellants.
The post Land dispute: Supreme Court acquits 18 convicted in attempt to murder case appeared first on India Legal.