In Brief
Three appellants were convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC for killing a man during a dispute over tree-cutting. The Supreme Court upheld that the incident occurred in a sudden, unpremeditated fight without cruelty or unfair advantage. Evidence of the deceased's brother (a related witness) was admitted as reliable when corroborated by other witnesses. The Court modified the conviction from murder to culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 Part I IPC. Since the appellants had already served approximately 9 years 11 months in jail, their sentence was reduced to time served, and they were ordered released immediately.
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