JUDGMENT:

V.S. SIRPURKAR, J.

1. Leave granted.

2. The appellant, Bavisetti Kameswara Rao original accused no. 1 (A- 1) has approached this Court challenging the judgment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, confirming his conviction (accused no. 1) for an offence under Section 302 IPC.

3. Initially, as many as eight persons were tried by the Additional Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court) for various offences under Sections 147, 148 and 302 read with Section 149 etc. The allegation is that all the accused persons alongwith some others formed themselves into an unlawful assembly and in pursuance of the common object of that assembly, they committed murder of one Samudrala Pandu Rangarao @ Rayalam Rangadu. According to the prosecution, on 28th July 2007, at about 11 P.M., the deceased alongwith his friend Tamarapalli Subba Rao had visited mini lorry supply office of the first accused and he wanted to consume alcohol there. The first accused refused to let him have the alcohol there and on this, there was a wordy altercation in between the first accused and the deceased, and they also had the physical altercation with each other and in this melee, the first accused has sust