In Brief
Prabhu Dayal and four co-accused were convicted for the murder of Gopal Singh and attempted murder of Devi in a night attack in 1997. The appellant's counsel challenged the conviction, arguing that the FIR's detailed version, filed at 5:35 a.m. (after preliminary police notice at 2:00 a.m.), was 'second information' barred by procedure; that witness testimony improved inconsistently over time; and that forensic failures undermined the case. The Supreme Court upheld both convictions: the detailed FIR was a timely, permitted addendum to preliminary information; minor improvements in witness accounts were insignificant when core facts remained consistent; and the appellant was liable under Section 149 IPC as a member of the unlawful assembly sharing common murderous intent, regardless of whether his own shot struck the victim. Life sentence confirmed.", <parameter name="disposition">dismissed
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.