JUDGMENT :

K.K. RAMAKRISHNAN, J.

1. These criminal appeals have been filed by the appellants against the following conviction and sentence of imprisonment imposed against them vide impugned judgment dated 15.12.2022 in S.C. No. 136 of 2018 on the file of the learned Additional District and Sessions Judge, Kanyakumari District at Nagercoil.

2. Brief facts of the case:

2.1. The case of the prosecution is that on 22.08.2012, during a festival at Ashtakaliamman temple, the deceased Vijayakumar started dancing by sneaking into the group of women and A1 is said to have objected the same and it led to a quarrel between A1 and the deceased. It is the further case of the prosecution that A6 had a love affair with the daughter of the maternal aunt of the deceased and the same was questioned by the deceased and as a result, there was a previous enmity between A6 and the deceased. On account of this previous enmity, it is alleged that on 24.08.2012, at about 7.30 p.m., A1 to A14 assembled in front of Bay Watch Audio Shop run by A6 and had conspired to murder the deceased and his family members.

2.2. In furtherance of this conspiracy, on 24.08.2012, at about 9.45 p.m., all the accused unlawfully ass