JUDGMENT :

1. The present criminal appeal is filed by the accused against the impugned judgment of conviction and order of sentence dated 31st August, 2015 made in S.C.No.181/2012 on the file of the IV Additional District and Sessions Judge, Madhugiri convicting the accused for the offence punishable under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (for short ‘IPC’) and sentencing him to undergo imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs.5,000/in default of payment of fine to undergo further simple imprisonment for three months.

2. It is the case of the prosecution that the deceased Gangamma had two brothers – Muddappa and Rangashamaiah and three sisters. Her third daughter – Parvathamma was married to accused about fourteen years back as on the date of incident and after five years of their marriage, there was a dispute between them which ended in divorce. It is the further case of the prosecution that the accused married again and was having two children. The father of the accused – Muddappa and his brother Rangashamaiah sold the ancestral properties bearing Sy.Nos.63 and 69 situated at Gurudevarahally and shared the sale proceeds among themselves. After coming to know the same, thoug