In Brief
Murali was convicted along with others of offences including rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, and attempted murder under the Indian Penal Code. The appellants challenged their conviction and sentence. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the convictions but reduced the sentence to the period already served, resulting in their release. The Court considered that fifteen years had passed since the incident, the parties had reconciled and settled their dispute voluntarily (confirmed by the victim's affidavit), and the appellants were now in their thirties with no likelihood of reoffence. These factors, particularly the genuine reconciliation and efflux of time, justified the reduction in sentence.
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