In Brief
Twenty-one members of the Choudhary Group were convicted of murdering Ashok Deshmukh and attempting to murder others, following a post-election clash between two political groups in a village. The Supreme Court held that while an unlawful assembly occurred, the prosecution failed to prove that the members shared a common objective to commit murder. The absence of deadly weapons, the pattern of injuries (mostly on non-vital parts), and the presence of only one fatal head wound indicated intent to cause grievous hurt, not murder. The Court converted convictions under Section 302 (murder) to Section 304-II (causing death by rash act) with seven-year sentences, noting that without clear proof of conspiracy or common murderous intent, individual liability applied instead.
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