S.B. Shukre, J.

1. By this appeal, the appellants have challenged the judgment and order dated 31.12.1998, passed in Sessions Trial No. 207/1997, by 7th Additional Sessions Judge, Nagpur thereby convicting the appellants of the offences punishable under Sections 307and 498-A read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code. Briefly stated, facts of the case are as under:

"Complainant in this case is one Kamlabai, who is the first wife of accused No. 1. Their marriage was solemnized in the year 1964 and after the marriage, complainant started cohabiting and residing together with accused No. 1 at his house at Umred. As the time passed by, accused No. 1 performed three more marriages without obtaining any dissolution of his marriage with Kamlabai. The accused No. 2 was the fourth woman with whom accused No. 1 performed illegal marriage. Second wife of accused No. 1 died and third wife of accused No. 1 left his house on the say of her parents due to bad behavior of accused No. 1. The accused No. 2 also cohabited along with accused No. 1 in the same house as the complainant-Kamlabai was allotted a separate room in the same house."

It has been alleged that there used to take place q