In Brief
Sudam Prabhakar Achat was convicted of murder (Section 302 IPC) alongside his co-accused for assaulting the deceased with a stick during a quarrel over access to a common well and agricultural boundary. Both courts affirmed the conviction. The Supreme Court partly allowed the appeal, converting the conviction from Section 302 (murder) to Section 304 Part I (causing death by act endangering life), finding that the incident was a sudden fight without premeditation using common agricultural tools, the appellant used only a stick, and there was no evidence of intention to kill. The appellant, having already served 6 years 10 months, was released.
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