ORDER

1. There are seven appellants who have impugned the judgment and order of the High Court of Judicature at Madras in Criminal Appeal No. 793 of a 1995 dated 30-9-2003. Before the High Court there were eight appellants but out of them A-2 is said to have died before this appeal was preferred and therefore, we are concerned with seven appellants only . they were tried by the Sessions Judge, Tiruvannamalai in Sessions Case No. 33 of 1994. The learned Sessions Judge found A-I, A-2 (since deceased) and A-5 to A-8 guilty under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC and A-3 and A-4 guilty of b the offence under Section 302 read with Section 109 IPC. All of them were sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life. Their appeal was dismissed by the High Court by the impugned judgment and order.

2. The incident giving rise to this appeal took place on 25-8-1993 at about 6.30 p.m. in which, according to the prosecution, the appellants participated and caused injuries to one Chinnapaiyan Sikari who succumbed to his injuries on the next day at about 2.30 p.m. while being treated in the hospital.

3. It appears that the deceased as well as the prosecution witnesses are residents of Village Poosani