In Brief
Suresh Singhal was convicted of murdering two brothers during a property dispute settlement meeting. The Supreme Court found that when the deceased and his brothers assaulted and attempted to strangle the appellant, he had a right to exercise private defence—even though he used a firearm against unarmed attackers. The Court held that a mere reasonable apprehension of danger suffices to invoke the right of private defence; actual harm need not occur. The shooting was sudden and unpremeditated, occurring in the heat of a violent scuffle. While the appellant exceeded the permissible force, the homicide fell within Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC as culpable homicide, not murder. The conviction for one victim's death was upheld; the conviction for the other's death was quashed due to insufficient proof of which armed person fired the fatal shot. The appellant, having served 13.5 years, was released."
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