Pathak, Actg. C. J. :- A brief narrative of the facts giving rise to this appeal from jail depicts a horrendous and luried scenario of the obsolescent superstition of witch-hunting taking the toll of the life of an innocent man, Chida Soren and his wife Sumi Mardi. No. 2 Demdema village within the jurisdiction of Gossaigaon Police Station was afflicted with diseases causing the death of several children including two of the appellant Sikiram Soren and three of appellant Som Soren, after short spell of fever. The villagers were obsessed with belief that their co-villager, Chida Soren was an imp and his wife Sumi Mardi a witch. The villagers thought that they cast evil spirits on the children of the village, several of whom fell ill and died. On 18-8-1975 at nightfall the villagers gathered in a meeting in an open space of the village. Deceased Chida Soren also attended as he was called to come to the meeting. It is the prosecution case that appellant Som Soren, Munshi Soren, Sikiram Soren and one Barka Soren (since deceased) attended the meeting being armed with short lathies concealed under their wearing clothes. The evidence discloses that deceased Barka Soren was the rea