JUDGMENT :

BELA M. TRIVEDI, J.

1. The Appellant-accused by way of present appeal has assailed the Judgment and Order dated 09.02.2011 passed by the High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur, in Criminal Appeal No.324 of 2006, whereby the High Court has confirmed the judgment of conviction and order of sentence dated 09.03.2006 passed by the Special Judge, (Atrocities), Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Trial Court’) in Special Criminal Case No.19 of 2005. The Trial Court in the said case while acquitting the appellant-accused from the charge under Section 3(2)(5) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, (hereinafter referred to as the SC/ST Act), had convicted him for the offence under Section 302 of IPC and sentenced him to undergo imprisonment for life and pay a fine of Rs.1,000/-, in default thereof, to further undergo Rigorous Imprisonment for one year.

2. The case of the prosecution as unfolded by it was that on 22.07.2003, during the evening hours, Bisahu Singh (the deceased) had gone to the forest for collecting woods, however he did not come back in the night. The next day morning his wife Ganeshi Bai saw him lying i