In Brief
This landmark case addressed caste-motivated murders of three young people (two men and a woman) killed by an upper-caste mob through hanging and burning after an inter-caste elopement. The Supreme Court upheld the convictions of 23 accused for murder and related offences under IPC and SC/ST Act provisions. The Court affirmed that evidence from hostile witnesses can support convictions if corroborated by credible eye-witnesses. It held that all members of an unlawful assembly sharing its common object bear vicarious liability regardless of assigned roles. The Court upheld the High Court's conversion of death sentences to life imprisonment, emphasizing that honour killings constitute anti-social crimes. The judgment also criticized inadequate witness protection, highlighting the constitutional duty to safeguard witness safety.
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