In Brief
This case involved sentencing after a previous acquittal was reversed and the accused was convicted of murder and attempted murder in a 1995 incident. The Supreme Court, rather than impose death sentence despite the conviction, sentenced the accused to life imprisonment with fines of Rs. 20 lakhs for murder and Rs. 5 lakhs for attempted murder. The Court directed these fines be distributed as compensation to the legal heirs of two deceased victims (Rs. 10 lakhs each) and the injured victim (Rs. 5 lakhs), and ordered the State of Bihar to provide additional compensation of equal amount, citing the State's poor prosecution conduct and the victims' trauma.
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