Judgment :

1. This judgment will dispose of the three criminal appeals noted above.

2. The facts have been taken from Criminal Appeal No. 1487 of 2005 which is the lead case. They are as under:

2.1 Sudhakar and his wife Shilpa aged 52 and 50 years respectively both deceased in this matter were running a business in stones and slabs at 224, Railway Goodshed Road, Belgaum. The factory was on the ground floor whereas the couple were residing on the first floor of the premises. On the 10th of June, 2000, the couple attended a tea party in the house of their acquaintance one Parth Deshpande, and after the party was over at about 6:00p.m. P.W. 6 Mohan Ramnath, who had also attended the party, dropped them off at their residence in his car. As per the prosecution story, at about 8:30p.m., P.W. 1 Parasram and his wife heard some knocking on their door and on opening the same they saw Shilpa aforesaid lying on the ground. On enquiry she disclosed that three persons had attacked her husband and her and had caused them severe injuries. On receiving this information, P.W. 1 and his wife immediately summoned P.W. 16 Dr. Ramesh who had a hospital close by and on his advice they first took Shilpa