JUDGMENT

B.N. Agrawal, J.-Appellants in these two appeals, who are in all eleven in number, along with thirty three other accused persons were convicted by the trial court under Sections 302/149 and 323/149 of the Penal Code and each one of them was sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life and rigorous imprisonment for a period of one year respectively. Appellants of Criminal Appeal No. 808 of 2000 besides other twenty five accused persons were further convicted under Section 147 of the Penal Code and each one of them was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of one year. Appellants of Criminal Appeal No. 809 of 2000 were also convicted under Section 148 of the Penal Code along with seven other accused persons and each one of them was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of three years. The sentences, however, were ordered to run concurrently. On appeal being preferred by all the forty four accused persons, including the appellants, convictions and sentences of the appellants have been confirmed by the High Court whereas appeal of five accused persons had abated as they died during its pendency. Appeal preferred by the other five accused person