In Brief
Mahabir was convicted of murder after striking a fatal blow with a sharp weapon during a property dispute. The High Court reduced his conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304, IPC), finding no intention to kill, but upheld life imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction but found life imprisonment excessive, given that Mahabir had already served 8 years and 4 months in incarceration at the time of appeal admission. The Court reduced the substantive sentence to time already undergone, discharged his bail bonds, and disposed the appeal."
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