In Brief
A man was convicted of murdering his wife after a quarrel in which he assaulted her with a brick while intoxicated. The trial court sentenced him to death under Section 302 IPC (murder). The High Court set aside the conviction and instead convicted him under Section 304 Part I IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), sentencing him to ten years' imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision, holding that although the appellant caused his wife's homicidal death, the unplanned, drunken nature of the act during a quarrel—lacking premeditation and special intent—made it culpable homicide, not murder.
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