JUDGMENT

Santosh Hegde, J.-Appellant Suraj Bhan and four others were charged for an offence punishable under Sections 148, 302, 325 & 323 read with Section 149 IPC for having committed the murder of one Kehar Singh on 20-3-1989 at about 8 a.m. before the Additional Sessions Judge, Sonepat. Learned Sessions Judge by his judgment dated 3.3.1992 convicted all the appellants under Section 302 read with Section 149 and sentenced them to undergo imprisonment for life. It also sentenced the accused before it for offences under Sections 148, 149 and Section 325 read with Section 149 and Section 323 read with Section 149. In appeal before the High Court of Punjab & Haryana, the High Court acquitted accused Ram Nivas A-3, Santosh A-4 and Darshan A-5 of all the offences charged against them, giving them the benefit of doubt. While it convicted Jagmender A-1 for an offence under Section 325 IPC and confirmed the sentence awarded on this count by the learned Sessions Judge. However, in regard to the appellant before us in these appeals, it confirmed the conviction awarded to him under Section 302 IPC and under Section 323 IPC and the sentence awarded by the trial court on these two counts were