JUDGMENT

Romesh and Bhushan, the appellants, were tried for the murder of one Chhinda. They were convicted under S. 302/34 Indian Penal Code by the Special Court, Ludhiana and were sentenced to imprisonment for life. This appeal is against their conviction and sentence by the Special Court at Ludhiana.

2. According to the prosecution story during the night intervening 11th/12th February, 1984 Ashok Kumar, a Riksha Puller, was standing outside the railway station at about 11.00 p.m. when four persons came and sat in his rickshaw. Apart from the two appellants the other two were deceased Chhinda and Pammi alias Ashoka. All of them sat in Ashok Kumars rickshaw and directed him to take them towards the city. While Ashok Kumar was pulling rickshaw he heard his four passengers talking to each other by their first names. After some distance three of them started beating Chhinda. All of them had knives in their hands and they gave serveral knife-injuries to Chhinda due to which he died and fell on the foot-rest of the rickshaw. Ashok Kumar drove the rickshaw under the directions of the three assailants along with the dead body of Chhinda through the steets of Luchiana. The assailants direct