In Brief
On 8 January 1984, the deceased Ram Autar was killed in his courtyard during an attack by multiple accused who were armed with firearms and weapons. After a trial, appellant No. 2-Balaram was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC read with Section 34 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, holding that even though eyewitness accounts differ on who fired the fatal gunshot, the conviction of Balaram can be sustained under Section 34 IPC because he was present at the scene armed with a rifle and acted in furtherance of the common intention to murder. The appeal was dismissed; appellant No. 1 had died during the proceedings, so his appeal was abated.
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