JUDGMENT

Arijit Pasayat, J.—Leave granted.

2. Appellants call in question legality of the judgment rendered by a Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court holding appellant no.1 guilty of the offence punishable under Section 326 read with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (in short the IPC). Each of the accused appellants was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 8 years and to pay a fine of Rs.500/-. The appellants and 9 others faced trial for offences punishable under Sections 143, 147, 341, 307 read with Section 149 IPC. The Trial Court convicted accused numbers 1 to 6 and 8 to 13 and sentenced each to undergo rigorous imprisonment for one year in respect of offences punishable under Sections 143, 147 and 341 read with Section 149 IPC, and in respect of offence punishable under Section 307 read with Section 149 IPC, each was sentenced to undergo two years rigorous imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs.500/- with default stipulation. It had been reported to the Trial Court that accused no.7 died during the pendency of the trial. The judgment was assailed before the High Court both by the accused persons and State. While accused persons questioned conviction and se