In Brief
The Supreme Court reviewed the conviction of Hansaram for murdering Ram Kumar Sahu by striking him with a tangi (a farming tool) on the head. The trial court had sentenced him to life imprisonment under Section 302 IPC (murder). The Court found no evidence of premeditation or intention to kill. The appellant bore multiple injuries from the altercation, suggesting he was acting in self-defence when he swung the tangi. Accordingly, the Court set aside the murder conviction but upheld a conviction under Section 304 (Part II) IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), reducing the sentence to seven years imprisonment.
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