In Brief
Fourteen accused were convicted of causing grievous injuries to an elderly victim through an organized mob attack. The trial court sentenced them to 2 years imprisonment; the High Court enhanced it to 5 years. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, affirming that mere membership in an unlawful assembly with a common object triggers vicarious liability under Section 149 IPC without requiring proof of individual overt acts. However, the Court modified the sentence by restoring the 2-year term while significantly increasing compensation to Rs.55,000 per accused, finding this sufficient to meet the ends of justice after nine years.
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