JUDGMENT

Santosh Hegde, J.-Ten accused persons including the appellants in these appeals were chargesheeted for offences punishable under Sections 302, 201, 324, 323, 148 and 149 IPC before the Sessions Judge, Hoshiarpur in Sessions Case No.5/1996 (Sessions Trial No.24 of 1996). The trial court acquitted A-6 to A-9 of all the charges framed against them. It convicted A-1 to A-5 and A-10 for various offences punishable under Section 302 simplicitor, Section 302 read with Sec. 149, 148, 326 read with 149, 324 read with 149, 323 read with 149 and Section 201 IPC. It imposed a sentence of life imprisonment for offences under Sections 302, 302 read with 149 and varying sentences for other lesser offences enumerated hereinabove. An appeal filed by the convicted accused before the High Court of Punjab & Haryana at Chandigarh came to be dismissed.

2. Being aggrieved by the said judgment of the courts below, Mohinder Singh A-5 and Jaswinder Singh A-10 have preferred Criminal Appeal No.794 of 2002 and Jagjit Singh A-2 and Manjit Singh A-3 have preferred Criminal Appeal No.750 of 2002 before this Court. Two other convicted accused, namely, Sarabjit Singh A-1 and Nirmal Singh A-4 had preferred S