JUDGMENT

K. JAYACHANDRA REDDY, J.:— This appeal is directed against the judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court convicting the two appellants herein under S. 302 read with S. 34, I.P.C. and sentencing them to suffer imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 1,500/- in default of which to undergo further one years rigorous imprisonment. The main submission in this appeal is that there was inordinate delay in registering the case and the investigation is tainted and consequently the whole case should be thrown out. The material facts of the case are as follows.

2. The two appellants and the three other accused who were also tried along with them are residents of village Lopan in Ludhiana District. Accused Nos. 1 to 4 are brothers and the 5th accused is the relation. The deceased one Hazura Singh aged about 80 years was the Sarpanch of the village. In the year 1971 he lodged a report stating that some cement pipes in his fields were removed by the four brothers accused Nos. 1 to 4 along with other members of the family. A case was registered and the trial was pending. There was security proceedings also between P.W. 2, son of the deceased and the two appellants and their br