JUDGMENT :

S.K. SAHOO, J.

1. JCRLA No. 74 of 2015 was registered on the basis of the prisoner’s petition received from the appellants Arjun Singh, Baman Charan Munda and Siba Singh, which was admitted on 20.02.2017. Since the appellants Arjun Singh and Siba Singh filed a separate appeal, i.e. CRLA No. 19 of 2016, as per the submission made by the learned counsel for the appellants, JCRLA No. 74 of 2015 was confined only with respect to the appellant Baman Charan Munda as per order dated 28.03.2022.

CRLA No. 529 of 2015 filed by the appellant Patra @ Pabitra Mahakud was presented before this Court on 28.10.2015 and admitted on 29.07.2016.

CRLA No. 19 of 2016 filed by the appellants Arjun Singh and Siba Singh was presented before this Court on 05.01.2016 and admitted on 03.08.2016.

2. All the appellants faced trial in the Court of learned Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge, Sundargarh in Sessions Trial No. 114 of 2013 for offences punishable under sections 376-D/506/34 of the Indian Penal Code and section 3(1)(xi) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 [hereafter ‘SC & ST (PoA) Act’] on the accusation that on 27.02.2013 at about 2.00 p.m. they forc