JUDGMENT

Brijesh Kumar, J.-All the three criminal appeals, noted above, arise out of the judgment and order dated 21.9.2000, passed by the Gujarat High Court upholding the conviction and sentence of all the appellants in the three appeals as awarded by the Additional Sessions Judge, Kheda at Nadiad by the order dated 08.6.1998 in Sessions Case No. 195/1993. The appellants have been convicted under Section 302 read with Section 120-B IPC and sentenced to imprisonment for life. They have also been sentenced to pay a fine of Rs. 5000/- each, in default to suffer simple imprisonment for a period of three years, except accused No. 5 Ramilaben and accused no. 11 Elisaben, who have been sentenced to pay a fine of Rs. 2000/- each, in default thereof to suffer simple imprisonment for a period of two years. Four persons, namely, Pushpaben Dahyabhai, Ravinaben Dahyabhai, Gersombhai Yakubhai and Mariyamben Ashabhai, had been acquitted as no case was found to have been made out for their conviction.

2. In all, there were eleven accused persons, out of which accused No.6 Rameshbhai Ashabhai died during the trial, six of them have been convicted and four have been acquitted as indicated earlier.