The evidence of interested witnesses, such as family members of the deceased, is reliable and sufficient to secure a conviction if it is consistent, natural, and corroborated by other evidence, as mere relationship with the deceased does not disqualify a witness in a criminal prosecution.

JUDGMENT :

(Per the Hon’ble Sri Justice K.Sreenivasa Reddy)

Sole accused in Sessions Case No.51 of 2015 on the file of the I Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Visakhapatnam (for short, ‘the learned Sessions Judge’), is the appellant herein.

2. Vide judgment dated 27.02.2017 in the aforesaid Sessions Case, the appellant was convicted of the offence punishable under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short, ‘IPC’) and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life and to pay fine of Rs.500/- in default to suffer simple imprisonment for a period of three months.

3. The substance of charge as against the accused is that on 18.08.2014 at about 6.00 AM, the accused hacked Chedala Narayana, s/o.Mallanna (hereinafter referred to, as ‘deceased No.1’) with a knife and on the even date, he hacked Chedala Janakamma, w/o. Gundanna (hereinafter referred to, as ‘deceased No.2’) at Goppulapalem village, casing death of both the deceased and thereby he committed the offence punishable under Section 302 IPC.

4. Case of the prosecution, in brief, is that deceased No.2 is wife of the accused. Their marriage took place about 13 years prior to the incident. They lived in Goppulapalem village, Hukumpeta mandal. Out of the wedlock, they begot two children. Deceased No.2 developed illicit intimacy with deceased No.1, for which the accused chastised them several times. Both the deceased were caught red-handed three months prior to the incident, when they were in compromising position under a tree nearby the village. On that, the accused beat deceased No.1 and brought his wife back to him. Thereafter also, there was no change in their attitude and deceased No.1 eloped deceased No.2 from the village and kept her at Gorrigudda village in the house of P.W.4. Having vexed with their behaviour, the accused decided to do away with their lives and was waiting for an opportunity. On 18.08.2014, the accused reached the agricultural field of deceased No.1 along with a knife and at about 6.00 AM, found deceased No.1 there and hacked him with the knife. On that, deceased No.1 died on the spot. P.Ws.1, 3 and one K.Arjun witnessed the incident. Thereafter, the accused, armed with the same knife, went to Gorrigudda at about 7.00 AM and found deceased No.2 cleaning utencils beside a well. He hacked her with the same knife and murdered her. P.W.5, 13 and one B.Demudamma witnessed the incident. The accused severed heads of both the deceased from their trunks, returned home, kept the severed heads in separate plastic bags, kept each bag to the terminals of a stick (kavidi) and left home with the knife by holding stick across shoulder towards Thumpada village. Basing on the report lodged by P.W.1, police registered a case in crime No.31 of 2014 of Hukumpeta police station. During the course of investigation, police visited the scenes of occurrence, prepared rough sketch of the scenes of occurrence, got photographed the scenes of occurrence, held inquest over the dead bodies of the deceased Nos. 1 and 2 separately and sent the same to the Area Hospital, Paderu for autopsy. On 18.08.2014, police arrested the accused and pursuant to his confessional statement, police seized blood stained knife, two bags containing head portions of the dead bodies of the deceased under cover of panchanama and prepared rough sketch of the scene where the accused was arrested and got photographed the same and the heads were sent to the Area Hospital, Paderu. On 19.8.2014, police held separate inquests over the separated head portion of deceased Nos. 1 and 2 and sent the same to the Area Hospital for autop