In Brief
Mahendran and eight others appealed their conviction for murder under IPC Sections 302 and 326 read with 149, arising from a caste-related lynching in Tamil Nadu where Murugaiyan was attacked with sickles and his hut set ablaze. The Supreme Court held that despite some co-accused being acquitted, the testimony of three eyewitnesses was reliable and sufficiently corroborated regarding the appellants' presence in the unlawful assembly and their common object. The Court rejected arguments that partial acquittals discredited the entire prosecution case, affirming that Indian law does not apply the maxim 'falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus.' The convictions were upheld, finding that common object to kill was established by circumstances and the severe injuries inflicted on the deceased.
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