Judgment :

GANGULY, J.

1. Delay condoned.

2. Leave is granted in both the special leave petitions. They are heard together as common questions of facts and law are involved.

3. One Kiranjit Kaur, daughter of a handicapped school master, was abducted when she was returning from school on 29.07.1997, and then gang-raped and murdered by Gurprit Singh, Jagraj Singh, Desh Raj and Partap Singh. The Hon'ble Additional Sessions Judge, Barnala, after holding the trial convicted and sentenced them to undergo life imprisonment. In the area an Action Committee was formed to ensure that accused persons, involved in the gang-rape and murder of that girl, were brought to book. That committee consisted, inter-alia, of Manjit Singh, Prem Kumar and Narayan Dutt, accused in the present case, as its members. Ultimately, the accused persons in the case of gang-rape and murder of Kiranjit Kaur were punished, as aforesaid.

4. On 3.03.2001, Beant Singh (father of Jagraj Singh), Dalip Singh (grandfather of Jagraj Singh), Gurnam Singh and Rajinder Pal Singh (nephew of Dalip Singh), while coming out of Court, after hearing a criminal case, were attacked by a mob consisting of 7 persons, namely- Sukhwinder