The Court made the following JUDGMENT:

1. This appeal, under section 378(1) and (3) of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short, ‘Cr.P.C’) is preferred by the Appellant / State against the judgment of acquittal rendered by the learned Assistant Sessions Judge, Nuzvid (for short, ‘the trial Court’) in Sessions Case No.74 of 2005 by its judgment dated 13.10.2008 acquitted the accused for the offence punishable under section 341 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short, ‘IPC’) against A.1 to A.3, under Section 326 of IPC against A.3 and under Section 307 of IPC against A.1 and under Section 326 and 307 r/w 34 IPC against A.2.

2. Perused the impugned judgment of acquittal rendered by the Trial Court, which is challenged under this appeal. It consisted of evidence of PWs.1 to 8 and documents Exs.P.1 to P.7 and M.Os.1 to 4 were marked. On behalf of the accused, no oral or documentary evidence was adduced.

3. The facts in a nutshell, which give rise to the present appeal, are as follows:

P.W.1, Pinapati Veladri, an active member of the Congress Party and the proprietor of a Fair Price Shop in Vavilala Village, was the subject of a rumour alleging that he had developed an illicit intimacy with