In Brief
In this appeal against conviction, the Supreme Court examined whether the appellant committed murder or a lesser offence under the Indian Penal Code. The appellant had inflicted a single blow with a crowbar on the deceased's head, causing multiple skull fractures, while associates held the victim. The Court held that intention to kill must be inferred from circumstantial evidence: the lethal weapon used, targeting a vital body part, the severity of injury, and preceding events. The Court rejected the notion that a single blow cannot establish murder. Given these cumulative factors, the appellant clearly intended to cause death. The appeal was allowed.
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