In Brief
On 3 March 2001, a violent attack occurred at Barnala Court Complex targeting members of the complainant party, resulting in the death of Dalip Singh. Manjit Singh and Sukhwinder Singh were convicted of murder and rioting under Sections 302/149, 148, and 326/149 IPC. The Supreme Court dismissed their appeals, upholding the conviction. The Court held that an unlawful assembly with common object was established through eyewitness testimony of injured witnesses, medical evidence, and the coordinated assault with weapons. The plea of alibi raised by Manjit Singh was rejected as it was not properly raised during trial or cross-examination, amounting to a crude afterthought. The Court affirmed that injured eyewitness testimony, when reliable, suffices for conviction without independent witnesses.
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