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Supreme Court of India 2025-10-28 dismissed

Om Pal & Others vs State of U.P. (now State of Uttarakhand)

Bench: 2 — Prashant Kumar Mishra, Sanjay Karol

In Brief

In this case, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction and life sentence of appellants for murder under Section 302 read with Section 149 IPC, arising from a violent altercation over a land boundary dispute. The appellants attacked the complainant's family with sharp-edged weapons (spades and phawadas), causing the death of two persons and injuries to several others. The Court held that once an unlawful assembly with a common object to commit murder is established through credible eyewitness testimony and medical evidence, all members are jointly liable regardless of specific individual acts. The Court rejected arguments about lack of premeditation and absence of weapon recovery, finding the injuries consistent with intentional fatal attacks. Minor contradictions in witness statements were deemed immaterial where the core narrative and medical evidence corroborated the prosecution's case.

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Criminal Law Unlawful Assembly Common Object Murder Joint Liability Eyewitness Evidence Medical Evidence Section 149 IPC Section 302 IPC Credibility of Witnesses

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