The quality of evidence, including the testimony of a solitary witness and medical evidence, is crucial in establishing guilt in a criminal trial.

S.Nagamuthu, J.

The appellants are accused 1 to 5 in S.C.No.138 of 2012 on the file of I Additional Sessions Court, Vellore. The first accused stood charged for the offences under Section 120-B and 302 read with 109 IPC. The accused 2, 3 and 5 stood charged for the offence under Sections 120-B, 341 and 302 IPC. The fourth accused stood charged for the offences under Sections 120-B, 341, 302 and 324 IPC. The trial Court, by judgment, dated 11.03.2015, convicted and sentenced all the accused, as detailed below :

Challenging the said conviction and sentence, the appellants are before this Court with this appeal.

2. The case of the prosecution, in brief, is as follows :

2.1. The deceased in this case was one Mr.Absar Basha. He was running a furniture shop in Vellore. P.W.2 was employed under him, as a carpenter. There was a longstanding enmity between the accused and the deceased. It is alleged that on account of the said enmity the first accused decided to kill the deceased. The second accused is a friend of the first accused. According to the prosecution, the first accused requested the second accused to help him to complete his target. The second accused agreed for the same. Then, he engaged the accused 3 to 5, who were hirelings. The accused 2 to 5 agreed to kill the deceased. A sum of Rs.1,50,000/- was agreed to be paid by the first accused to the accused 2 to 5 for the said purpose, as consideration. A sum of Rs.40,000/- was paid as advance.

2.2. It is further alleged that on 02.11.2011, the deceased was at his house. P.W.2 was in the furniture shop of the deceased. Around 08.00 to 09.00 a.m., the deceased came to the furniture shop on his Hero Honda motorcycle bearing registration No.TN 23 AB 9481. He wanted P.W.2 to come with him to purchase wood. The second accused had come to the shop and he told the deceased that he would take him to the place, where wood was available for sale. Thus, on the motorcycle, the deceased, P.W.2 and the second accused travelled. When they were nearing Poonthottam Odai, the accused 3 to 5 were already standing there. They intercepted the motorcycle. The third accused questioned the deceased as to where he was proceeding. The deceased told that he was proceeding to purchase wood. Then, the third accused abused and attacked the deceased with a broken bottle on his head. He stabbed the deceased with a knife on his chest. The second accused also took out a knife and stabbed the deceased on his head. P.W.2 tried to rescue the deceased. The fifth accused cut P.W.2 with a knife on his left hand. Then, the accused 2 to 5 fled away from the scene of occurrence, abandoning the deceased and P.W.2. P.W.2 cried for help. He went to a nearby place and brought the people to the place of occurrence. He found the deceased dead. Then, P.W.1, the brother of the deceased, on hearing the occurrence, rushed to the place of occurrence and after ascertaining the facts, he went to Vellore South Police Station and lodged a complaint at 01.30 p.m. In the complaint, he stated that the assailants were known persons. P.W.15, the then Inspector of Police, on receipt of the said complaint, registered a case in Crime No.1239 of 2011, for the offences under Sections 341, 324 and 302 IPC. Ex.P-23 is