JUDGMENT

S.B. Sinha, J. - This appeal is directed against a judgment of conviction and sentence dated 19.3.2005 passed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Mansa awarding death penalty to Appellant under Sections 376 and 302 of the Indian Penal Code and affirmed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh in Reference No. 4/2005 and Criminal Appeal No. 284 (DB) of 2005 by a judgment and order dated 3.8.2005.

2. The prosecution case is as under:-

On 3.11.2003 in the evening, the deceased Raj Preet Kaur @ Guddi, who is a student of IInd Standard has gone to the house of her classmate Amarpreet Kaur, daughter of Gurbax Singh, a cousin of the complainant. The house of the said Gurbax Singh was situated in the revenue estate of Ramgarh, Village Shahpuria. At about 5.00 p.m., the deceased allegedly left the house of Gurbax Singh for her own house. She was accompanied to some extent by Amanpreet. When she crossed pakka water house, Amarpreet left her on her own. When the deceased did not reach her house, search was carried on. Some persons then found her dead body in the agricultural field belonging to Appellant situated in front of his house. The dead body was found near a Nee