In Brief
Two violent incidents occurred on 15 October 1998 in a village dispute over land. The first saw an assembly attack Dhanwaram, causing injuries; the second saw a larger group beat Govind Singh to death near a canal, dragging him by his legs. Eighteen persons were tried; nine were convicted for unlawful assembly, rioting with deadly weapons, and murder under Sections 147, 148, 302/149 IPC. Seven convicted appellants challenged their convictions in the Supreme Court. The Court held that while formation of an unlawful assembly and its common object must be proved, each member's identity must also be established beyond reasonable doubt through consistent eyewitness testimony or corroborating evidence. Five appellants' convictions were upheld based on strong corroboration from multiple witnesses. Two appellants (Khemuram and Lakhan) were acquitted as eyewitness evidence failed to consistently and credibly place them at the scene.
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