JUDGMENT

Dr. G. Yethirajulu, J.—This is an appeal preferred by the accused in SC ST SC No. 11 of 1996 on the file of the Addi-tional Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge under the Scheduled Castes and Sche-duled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (for brevity ‘the Act’), Medak at Sangareddy. He was convicted for the offence under Section 3(2) (v) of the Act read with Section 376 IPC and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for a period

of ten years and also to pay a fine of Rs. 2,000/-, in default to undergo imprison-ment for a period of one year through the judgment dated 3-9-1997. The appellant preferred this appeal questioning the judgment of the Sessions Court.

2. The factual matrix leading to the conviction of the appellant is as follows:

The victim (P.W. 1) is a lady belon-ging to Schedule Caste. On 28-9-1994 she went to her maize field situated at the outskirts of her village for getting green grass. The land of the accused is adjacent to the land of P.W. 1. At about 9 a.m. while P.W. 1 was cutting grass, the accused reached her from backside, pulled her down and fell on her with an intention to rape. P.W. 1 shouted for help of her hus-band (P.W.3). The accused prevented