In Brief
On 31 January 2008, Ravindra Kale was beaten to death by the appellants and others (12 in total) armed with swords and iron pipes, following a long-standing dispute. The appellants were convicted under Sections 143, 147, 148, 302 read with 149, and 326 read with 149 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment. The appellants appealed, arguing that the absence of food in the deceased's stomach contradicted eyewitness testimony that food was eaten minutes before the attack. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, holding that credible eyewitness evidence corroborated by medical findings cannot be discarded based on stomach contents alone, as digestion varies with multiple factors unrelated to time of death.
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