JUDGMENT

M. Jeyapaul, J.—Accused Jatinder Pal Singh was convicted under Section 302 and was sentenced to undergo RI for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 2,000 and in default of payment of fine to undergo further period of RI for 3 months. He was also convicted under Section 364 IPC and was sentenced to undergo RI for 10 years and to pay a fine of Rs.1,000 and in default of payment of fine to undergo further period of RI for 2 months, whereas co-accused Dilsheet Singh and Amar Nath were acquitted of the charges framed as against them. Accused Jatinder Pal Singh has preferred the present appeal aggrieved by the conviction and sentence passed by the trial Court.

2. It is the case of the prosecution that Harmeet Kaur, daughter of complainant Gurcharan Singh (PW1) left the house on 23.12.1998 at about 8.45 a.m. to attend a course in ITI, Nangal Township. PW1 received a telephonic call on 23. 12.1998 at about 11.30 p.m. from an unidentified person that Harmeet Kaur was admitted to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh in an unconscious condition. He came to know that his daughter was kidnapped by accused Jatinder Pal Singh along with his companions when she was