In Brief
The appellant, a Special Police Officer (SPO), was convicted along with four others for the murder of Som Raj in 1995. The trial court had convicted them under Section 304 Part II, IPC (culpable homicide), but the High Court upgraded the conviction to Section 302, IPC (murder). The appellant challenged this, arguing he was not armed and his kicks did not cause the fatal injuries shown in the autopsy. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's conviction, finding that the appellant's participation in the merciless, prolonged assault—including kicks to the head, chest, and neck, and compression of the victim's neck—demonstrated knowledge that death would likely result. The court emphasized the gravity of a public servant taking the law into his own hands in a violent mob assault.
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