JUDGMENT :

Uday Umesh Lalit, J.

1. These appeals by special leave challenge the judgment and order dated 08.08.2013 passed by the High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur in Criminal Reference No.4 of 2013 and in Criminal Appeal No.563 of 2013 affirming the conviction of the appellant under Section 302 IPC and confirming the sentence of death awarded by the Sessions Judge, Durg in Sessions Trial No.96 of 2012. The appellant was awarded death sentence on six counts for having caused the deaths of his wife and five daughters on 19.02.2012. While granting special leave to appeal by order dated 17.01.2014 this Court stayed the execution of death penalty till the disposal of the present appeal.

2. The appellant along with his wife Thaneswari aged about 32 years and five daughters, namely, Nisha, Lakshmi, Sati, Nandini and Sandhya, aged 15, 14, 13, 8 and 5 years respectively and his mother Kejabai (examined as PW-6 in the trial) was residing in Village Mohandipat, P.S. Arjunda, Chhattisgarh. Their house, a single storey structure with five rooms, a verandah and a courtyard, opened in a ga