In Brief
In this criminal appeal, two accused persons convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC challenged their conviction based on an extrajudicial confession recorded 40 days after the alleged killing. While the Supreme Court believed the confession and the courts' findings on facts, it modified the conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 Part I IPC. The Court found that the killing was precipitated by sudden and grave provocation—the deceased calling the accused woman and her daughter 'prostitutes'—which deprived the accused of self-control. The assault occurred within moments of provocation. However, the conviction under Section 201 IPC for transporting and hiding the body was maintained. The sentence was reduced to ten years' rigorous imprisonment with concurrent running of sentences.
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