JUDGMENT

Dr. Mukundakam Sharma, J. —

1.These appeals are directed against the judgment of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dated 05.08.2009. By the said judgment, the High Court reversed the judgment of acquittal of the appellant passed by the Principal Sessions Judge, Tirunelveli, and convicted the appellant, Arul Raja under Section 302 read with Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (“IPC”), and sentenced him to undergo life imprisonment and to pay a fine of 5000/- in default to suffer three months’ rigorous imprisonment. He was also convicted under Section 307, read with Section 120- B of the IPC and sentenced to Rigorous Imprisonment for a period of three years.

2.The appellant was convicted for murder, attempted murder, and criminal conspiracy to commit the aforesaid crimes in connection with the death of Sri Aladi Aruna, a former law minister of Tamil Nadu, which occurred on 31.12.2004. The facts in this regard go back to the alleged animosity between the appellant and Aladi Aruna over the years. The Appellant was running several educational institutions in the District of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari, and had also started an Engineering College at Athiyuthu in 2