The High Court's Ruling in the Case of Ajab Singh and Others

In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court of India has affirmed the ruling of the lower court in the case involving Ajab Singh and others. The High Court’s decision to modify the conviction of the respondent from Section 302 to Section 304 Part-I was upheld. The court found no good grounds to interfere with the High Court’s judgment, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal. This case highlights the importance of legal categorizations in determining the outcome of criminal proceedings.

Facts

1.1
The High Court acquitted Ajab Singh and Gulab Singh from all charges.
The fine of Rs.15,000/- imposed on Mohar Singh has been paid.
High Court determined that only one gunshot injury was caused to the deceased by Mohar Singh under instigation by Ajab Singh.
It was found that the incident occurred during a heated altercation between the parties.
High Court categorized the act of Mohar Singh under Section 304 Part-I of the IPC instead of Section 302.
It was noted that the incident took place in 1993 and Mohar Singh has already served around seven years and six months which would be more than nine years considering remission.
Complainant Harnam Singh lodged the FIR under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC based on which the accused was charged.
Evidence presented by Kaptan Singh, Harnam Singh, Sarnam Singh, and Narayan Singh led to the Trial Court’s conviction of Mohar Singh under Section 302 IPC with a sentence of life imprisonment.

Also Read: High Court Acquittal Case of State of Uttar Pradesh v. Jai Prakash

Analysis

The impugned judgement of the High Court modified the conviction of the respondent from Section 302 I.P.C. to Section 304 Part-I of I.P.C.
The court found that the modification from Section 302 to Section 304 Part-I was not perverse in the given facts and circumstances of the case.
There were no good grounds identified to interfere with the impugned judgment.
The court did not find any reason to overturn the decision made by the High Court in this regard.

Also Read: Judgment Review: Supreme Court’s Ruling on the Capital Punishment Appeal