In Brief
Satish Kumar was convicted of murdering Shamsher under Section 302 and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court partly allowed his appeal, converting the murder conviction to Section 304 Part I (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). The Court found inconsistencies between the dying declaration (describing lathi blows only on limbs and waist), the initial medical examination (finding no head injury), and the post-mortem report (identifying head injury as cause of death). Unable to prove beyond doubt that the injuries inflicted were intended to cause death, the Court granted the benefit of doubt. The appellant was released having already served seven years in custody.
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