In Brief
A man was convicted of murdering his neighbour after a sudden quarrel over money, in which he pushed and stood on the neighbour's abdomen. The victim died three days later in hospital from septicemia following intestinal injury. The Supreme Court modified the conviction from murder (Section 302 IPC) to culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304-I IPC). The Court held that the absence of premeditation, weapons, and the sudden nature of the quarrel brought the case within Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC, and the delayed hospitalization broke the causal chain. The accused was sentenced to the 14.5 years already served.">
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