Kesra Ram And Anr vs State on 6 August, 2026

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    Rajasthan High Court – Jodhpur

    Kesra Ram And Anr vs State on 6 August, 2026

    Bench: Vinit Kumar Mathur, Bhuwan Goyal

    [2026:RJ-JP:36207-DB]
    
               HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN
                              AT JODHPUR
    
                       D.B. Criminal Appeal No. 429/2002
              CNR: RJHC010158942002 | URN: CRLA / 1065U / 2002
    
    1. Kesra Ram S/o Sh. Mangla Ram, aged about 37 years, R/o
    village Satasar, District Bikaner.
    2. Chima Ram S/o Sh. Jalu Ram, aged about 45 years, R/o
    Lalamdesar Bada, District Bikaner (Abated on 24.04.2019).
                                                                          ----Appellant
                                           Versus
    The State of Rajasthan.
                                                                        ----Respondent
    
    
    For Appellant(s)             :     Mr. Mukesh Trivedi, Amicus Curiae
    For Respondent(s)            :     Mr. C.S. Ojha, PP
    
    
    
               HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VINIT KUMAR MATHUR
                   HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE BHUWAN GOYAL
    
                                        Judgment
    
    BY THE COURT: (PER HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VINIT KUMAR MATHUR)

    1. Date of conclusion of argument 03.08.2026

    2. Date on which the judgment was 03.08.2026
    reserved

    SPONSORED

    3. Whether the full judgment or only Full Judgment
    operative part is pronounced

    4. Date of Pronouncement 06.08.2026

    1. The present Criminal Appeal has been preferred under

    Section 374 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, by the

    accused-appellants, assailing the legality and validity of the

    judgment dated 12.04.2002 passed by the learned Additional

    District & Sessions Judge (Fast Track), Bikaner (hereinafter

    referred to as “the learned trial court”) in Sessions Case No.

    36/2001- State vs. Kesraram & Ors., whereby the learned trial

    court, though acquitted the co-accused, namely, Bhajanlal, of the

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    offences punishable under Sections 302/34 and 449 of the Indian

    Penal Code, 1860, but convicted and sentenced the accused-

    appellants namely, 1. Kesra Ram and 2. Chima Ram for the

    offences as under:-

    302/34 Life imprisonment, along with In default of payment of fine,
    IPC a fine of Rs. 15,00/- each to further undergo Two
    Month’s Rigorous
    imprisonment to each of the
    Appellants

    449 Five Year Rigorous In default of payment of fine
    IPC imprisonment to further undergo one Month
    with a Fine of Rs.500/- each additional Rigorous
    imprisonment to each of the
    Appellants.

    2. During the pendency of the present appeal, the accused-

    appellant No.2, Chima Ram, expired. Consequently, vide order

    dated 24.04.2019, the appeal preferred on his behalf stood

    abated. Hence, the appeal preferred by the accused-appellant

    No.1 Kesra Ram has been heard.

    3. As per the prosecution case, on 08.10.1999 at about 12:00

    noon, the complainant, Jeevan Ram, appeared before Police

    Station Chhatargarh, Bikaner and orally reported that his sister,

    Meera, was married to Ramchandra, who resided along with his

    family at his agricultural field (Dhani) situated in Chak No.1 L.K.D.

    It was alleged that there was a long-standing boundary dispute

    between Ramchandra and the accused persons, and about five or

    six days prior to the incident, the accused-appellants had

    assaulted Meera on account of the said dispute. At the relevant

    time, the complainant had gone to Samarda for grazing cattle.

    Upon knowing about the said incident of assault, he returned on

    the evening of the day before the occurrence to meet his sister –

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    Meera, while Ramchandra had gone to Chak No.2 P.B. to visit his

    brother. On that night, Meera, her mother-in-law, the children, and

    the complainant – Jeevan Ram, stayed at the agricultural field

    (Dhani). After having their dinner, they all retired for the night and

    slept in the Dhani.

    It was further alleged that on 08.10.1999 at about 6:00

    a.m., the accused persons, namely, Chima Ram, Mukha Ram and

    Kesra Ram, came from the direction of Chima Ram’s Dhani. Chima

    Ram was armed with an axe (kulhari), whereas Mukha Ram and

    Kesra Ram were having lathis in their hands. On their arrival,

    Chima Ram exhorted his companions to kill Meera stating her a

    raand of Ramchandra and inflicted an axe blow on her head, while

    the other accused assaulted her with lathis on her hands and legs

    with the intention of causing her death. When the complainant

    attempted to intervene, the accused chased him, compelling him

    to flee towards a nearby hill (Tibba). It was also alleged that when

    Meera’s mother-in-law tried to rescue her, Kesra Ram caught hold

    of her and dragged her aside, thereby preventing her from

    intervening.

    According to the prosecution, after assaulting Meera, the

    accused persons initially proceeded towards their Dhani but

    shortly thereafter returned and again threatened that Meera

    should not be allowed to survive. They again assaulted Meera and

    also attempted to attack the complainant, who managed to escape

    to the nearby Dhani of Bhagirath. Thereafter, the complainant

    went to the village of Keshu Ram and informed his brother-in-law,

    Keshu Ram, and other family members about the incident. They

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    accompanied him back to the agricultural field (Dhani), where

    they found Meera lying dead.

    4. On the basis of the aforesaid report, a formal FIR

    No.172/1999 (Ex.P-15) came to be registered at Police Station

    Chhatargarh, Bikaner for the offence under Sections 302,448,34

    of the Indian Penal Code.

    5. After completion of the investigation, the police filed a

    charge-sheet against the accused-appellants for the offences

    punishable under Sections 302 and 449 read with Section 34 of

    the Indian Penal Code, 1860, before the Court of the ACJM No.-2,

    Bikaner. Since the offences were exclusively triable by the Court

    of Sessions, the learned Magistrate committed the case to the

    Court of the learned Additional District & Sessions Judge No.1,

    Bikaner. Thereafter, the case was transferred to the Court of the

    learned Additional District & Sessions Judge (Fast Track), Bikaner,

    for trial in accordance with law.

    6. Learned trial court, upon taking cognizance, framed charges

    against the accused-appellants for the offences punishable under

    Section 302/34 and 449 of the Indian Penal Code. The contents of

    the charges were read over and explained to the accused-

    appellants, who denied the allegations, pleaded not guilty and

    claimed trial.

    7. During the trial, the prosecution examined as many as 12

    witnesses. In support of its case, the prosecution also produced

    documentary evidence, Exhibits P-01 to P-26.

    8. The statements of the accused-appellants were recorded

    under Section 313 Cr.P.C., wherein they denied the prosecution

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    allegations in toto, claimed themselves to be innocent and

    asserted that they had been falsely implicated in the present case.

    It was stated that the prosecution witnesses were close relatives

    of the deceased and, therefore, interested witnesses. The

    accused-appellant, Kesra Ram, specifically pleaded that he was

    present in his native village, Satasar, at the relevant time and had

    no involvement whatsoever in the alleged commission of offence.

    In defence, the accused-appellant examined Harkha Ram as DW-1

    in support of their case.

    9. Learned Trial Court, after hearing the arguments advanced

    on behalf of both sides and upon appreciation of the oral and

    documentary evidence brought on record, convicted and

    sentenced the accused-appellants for the offences under Section

    302/34 and 449 of the Indian Penal Code vide judgment dated

    12.04.2002.

    10. Being aggrieved by the aforesaid judgment of conviction and

    order of sentence passed by the learned trial court, the accused-

    appellants have preferred the present appeal before this Court.

    11. Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the accused-

    appellant no.1 Kesra Ram vehemently assailed the impugned

    judgment of conviction and sentence dated 12.04.2002 and

    submitted that the same is wholly illegal, improper, perverse and

    contrary to the evidence available on record, having been passed

    without proper appreciation of the material evidence and

    surrounding circumstances of the case. He further submitted that

    the learned trial court has failed to consider the facts in their

    correct perspective and, therefore, the impugned judgment and

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    order deserve to be quashed and set aside and the accused-

    appellant deserves to be acquitted of the charges leveled against

    him.

    12. Learned counsel submitted that a bare perusal of the First

    Information Report and the statements of the prosecution

    witnesses would reveal that the prosecution story is inherently

    improbable and unnatural. He further submitted that the material

    witnesses have made contradictory and inconsistent statements

    on vital aspects of the prosecution case and, therefore, no

    conviction under Section 302 IPC could have been recorded on the

    basis of such unreliable and contradictory evidence.

    13. Learned counsel further submitted that, even according to

    the prosecution case, accused-appellants Kesra Ram and Mukha

    Ram were armed only with lathis and had allegedly caused simple

    injuries on the hands and legs of the deceased. He, therefore,

    submitted that there was no material to infer any common

    intention on their part to commit the murder of the deceased. He

    further submitted that accused-appellant Kesra Ram had only one

    functional hand, his right hand having been amputated long prior

    to the alleged occurrence, and, therefore, the allegation that he

    participated in the assault in the manner alleged by the

    prosecution is wholly improbable. On this ground alone, He

    submitted that Kesra Ram is entitled to the benefit of doubt.

    14. Learned counsel submitted that PW-3 Bhagirath, the

    independent witness cited by the prosecution, did not support the

    prosecution version. He further submitted that the testimony of

    PW-7 Bhanwari, daughter of the deceased, was rightly disbelieved

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    by the learned trial court, as she herself stated that she was

    sleeping at the time of the occurrence. He also submitted that PW-

    6 Jeevan Ram, being the real brother of the deceased, was not

    residing at the place of occurrence and was subsequently

    introduced as a planted witness. According to learned counsel, had

    he actually been present at the spot, he would have naturally

    intervened to save his sister from the assault. His failure to do so

    is wholly inconsistent with normal human conduct and renders his

    testimony unreliable. He further submitted that PW-4 Mukhi, being

    the mother-in-law of the deceased, is a highly interested witness

    whose testimony suffers from material improvements and

    contradictions and, therefore, no conviction could have been

    founded on her evidence.

    15. Learned counsel also submitted that the alleged incident had

    its genesis in a land dispute between accused-appellant Chima

    Ram and the husband of the deceased. Accused-appellant Kesra

    Ram had no concern whatsoever with the said dispute. He

    submitted that, even if the prosecution case is accepted in its

    entirety, the incident occurred on the spur of the moment without

    any premeditation. Considering the nature of injuries sustained by

    the deceased, it cannot be inferred that the accused-appellant-

    Kesra Ram had the intention to cause her death. At the highest,

    the prosecution case would attract the provisions of Section 304

    Part II IPC and not under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC.

    Thus, the conviction under Section 302/34 IPC is legally

    unsustainable.

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    16. Learned counsel also invited the attention of this Court to the

    FSL report and submitted that the alleged weapon of offence

    recovered at the instance of accused-appellant Chima Ram was

    not scientifically connected with the crime. According to learned

    counsel, this circumstance creates a serious dent in the

    prosecution case and renders the recovery evidence wholly

    unreliable.

    17. Lastly, learned counsel submitted that the co-accused,

    Bhajan Lal, has already been acquitted by the learned trial court

    on the very same set of evidence. He submitted that once the

    prosecution witnesses have been found unreliable qua one of the

    accused persons, the same evidence could not have been

    selectively relied upon for recording the conviction of the present

    accused-appellant. Accordingly, he prayed that the impugned

    judgment and order dated 12.04.2002 may be quashed and set

    aside and the accused-appellant may be acquitted of all the

    charges.

    18. E-Converso, learned Public Prosecutor has vehemently

    opposed the submissions advanced on behalf of the accused-

    appellant and has supported the findings recorded by the learned

    trial court. He submits that the impugned judgment dated

    12.04.2002 does not suffer from any infirmity or illegality and that

    the conviction of the accused-appellant for the offences under

    Sections 302/34 and 449 of the Indian Penal Code has be rightly

    recorded on the basis of reliable and cogent evidence available on

    record.

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    19. We have bestowed our anxious consideration to the

    submissions advanced by learned counsel for the parties and have

    carefully re-appreciated the entire oral as well as documentary

    evidence available on record including the impugned order dated

    12.04.2002.

    20. As regards PW-7 Bhanwari, we find that although her

    presence at the place of occurrence is natural, the evidence on

    record reveals that she had awakened only after the assault had

    commenced. Consequently, she cannot be treated as an eye-

    witness to the actual occurrence. Nevertheless, her testimony

    assumes significance to the extent that it establishes the presence

    of PW-4 Mukhi and PW-6 Jeevan Ram at the place of occurrence

    immediately before and during the incident. To that extent, her

    deposition lends assurance to the prosecution case.

    21. The ocular testimony of PW-4 Mukhi and PW-6 Jeevan

    Ram inspires complete confidence. PW-4 Mukhi, being the

    mother-in-law of the deceased, was admittedly residing with her

    and her presence at the place of occurrence cannot be doubted.

    Similarly, PW-6 Jeevan Ram has consistently stated that he had

    come to visit his sister after knowing that she had been assaulted

    a few days earlier owing to the ongoing boundary dispute.

    Significantly, the post-mortem report records the existence of an

    earlier injury on the deceased, thereby lending corroboration to

    the version of PW-6 Jeevan Ram regarding his visit to the

    deceased house. The prompt lodging of the First Information

    Report by PW-6 within a few hours of the occurrence further

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    fortifies his presence at the scene and rules out any possibility of

    false implication after due deliberation.

    22. PW-3 Bhagirath, though declared hostile, has nevertheless

    admitted that at about 6:00 a.m. he heard cries emanating from

    the field of Ramchandra and that PW-6 Jeevan Ram came to him

    informing that Chima Ram and Kesra Ram were assaulting his

    sister. To this extent, his testimony substantially corroborates the

    prosecution version and cannot be ignored merely because he was

    declared hostile.

    23. PW-4 Mukhi has categorically deposed that accused-

    appellant Chima Ram came armed with an axe whereas accused-

    appellant Kesra Ram and the third assailant were armed with

    lathis. She has consistently stated that Chima Ram inflicted axe

    blows on the head of the deceased while Kesra Ram and the co-

    accused repeatedly assaulted her with lathis on her hands and

    legs. She has further deposed that when she attempted to

    intervene, Kesra Ram caught hold of her hand and dragged her

    aside, thereby preventing her from rescuing the deceased. Her

    testimony finds complete corroboration from the deposition of PW-

    6 Jeevan Ram, who has narrated the incident in material

    particulars in the same manner.

    24. The contention raised on behalf of the accused-appellant that

    Kesra Ram, having one amputated hand, could not have

    effectively participated in the assault also does not merit

    acceptance. Merely because one hand of the accused-appellant

    had been amputated long before the incident, it cannot be inferred

    that he was incapable of wielding a lathi with his another hand. No

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    evidence has been produced by the defence to probabilise such a

    plea. On the contrary, both PW-4 Mukhi and PW-6 Jeevan Ram

    have consistently identified Kesra Ram as one of the assailants.

    His physical condition, rather than creating doubt, constitutes a

    distinctive identifying feature, making the possibility of mistaken

    identity highly improbable.

    25. The plea of alibi raised by accused-appellant Kesra Ram that

    he was present in Village Satasar at the relevant time also

    deserves outright rejection. Except for making such a statement

    under Section 313 Cr.P.C., no evidence whatsoever has been

    adduced in support thereof. No suggestion regarding his alleged

    absence was put to the material prosecution witnesses during

    cross-examination. Consequently, the said plea remains wholly

    unsubstantiated.

    26. It has further come on record that there existed a boundary

    dispute between accused Chima Ram and the husband of the

    deceased. The prosecution witnesses have consistently spoken

    about the previous assault upon the deceased a few days before

    the incident. The evidence further reveals that on the date of

    occurrence, the husband of the deceased was away from the

    house and the accused persons took advantage of his absence to

    execute the assault. These circumstances furnish a clear motive

    for the commission of the crime.

    27. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in case of Baban Shankar

    Daphal and Ors. vs. The State of Maharashtra reported in

    2025 INSC 97, while dealing with the issue of testimonies of

    relative witnesses has held as under:-

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    “28. In criminal cases, the credibility of witnesses,
    particularly those who are close relatives of the victim,
    is often scrutinized. However, being a relative does not
    automatically render a witness “interested” or biased.
    The term “interested” refers to witnesses who have a
    personal stake in the outcome, such as a desire for
    revenge or to falsely implicate the Accused due to
    enmity or personal gain. A “related” witness, on the
    other hand, is someone who may be naturally present
    at the scene of the crime, and their testimony should
    not be dismissed simply because of their relationship
    to the victim. Courts must assess the reliability,
    consistency, and coherence of their statements rather
    than labelling them as untrustworthy.

    29. The distinction between “interested” and “related”
    witnesses has been clarified in Dalip Singh v. State
    of Punjab
    ,: 1953:INSC:46: 1954 SCR 145 where this
    Court emphasized that a close relative is usually the
    last person to falsely implicate an innocent person.
    Therefore, in evaluating the evidence of a related
    witness, the court should focus on the consistency and
    credibility of their testimony. This approach ensures
    that the evidence is not discarded merely due to
    familial ties, but is instead assessed based on its
    inherent reliability and consistency with other evidence
    in the case. This position has been reiterated by this
    Court in:-

    i. Md. Rojali Ali and Ors v. The State of Assam
    Ministry of Home Affairs
    through
    secretary;2019:INSC:223
    ii. Ganapathi v. State of T.N.;2018:INSC:271
    iii.
    Jayabalan v. Union Territory of Pondicherry
    2009:INSC:1223

    30. Though the eyewitnesses who have been examined
    in the present case were closely related to the
    deceased, namely his wife, daughter and son, their
    testimonies are consistent with respect to the Accused
    persons being the assailants who inflicted wounds on
    the deceased. As is revealed from the sequence of
    events that transpired, one of the family members was
    subjected to an assault. It was thus quite natural for
    the other family members to rush on the spot to
    intervene. The presence of the family members on the
    spot and thus being eyewitness has been well
    established. In such circumstances, merely because
    the eyewitnesses are family members, their
    testimonies cannot be discarded solely on that
    ground”.

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    28. In the present case, the prosecution has examined PW-3

    Bhagirath, PW-4 Mukhi, PW-6 Jeevan Ram and PW-7 Bhanwari as

    eye-witnesses to the occurrence. It is true that PW-4 Mukhi is the

    mother-in-law of the deceased, PW-6 Jeevan Ram is the real

    brother of the deceased and PW-7 Bhanwari is the daughter of the

    deceased, however, merely because these witnesses are closely

    related to the deceased, their evidence cannot be rejected at the

    threshold. Their presence at the place of occurrence is most

    natural and stands firmly established from the evidence available

    on record. The occurrence took place at the Dhani of the deceased

    where PW-4 Mukhi was admittedly residing with her, PW-6 Jeevan

    Ram had come to visit his sister after knowing about the earlier

    assault upon her and PW-7 Bhanwari, being the daughter of the

    deceased, was naturally present in the house. In these

    circumstances, their presence at the scene of occurrence is wholly

    natural and probable. Consequently, their testimony cannot be

    discarded merely on account of their relationship with the

    deceased. Rather, after subjecting their evidence to careful

    scrutiny, we find the same to be consistent, reliable and duly

    corroborated by the medical as well as other attendant evidence

    on record. We, therefore, find no reason to disbelieve their

    testimony merely on the ground that they are related to the

    deceased.

    29. PW-8 Dr. Kuldeep Singh, who conducted the post-mortem

    examination on the dead body of the deceased Meera on

    08.10.1999, deposed that he prepared the post-mortem report

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    (Ex.P-16). Upon examination, he found the following ante-mortem

    injuries on the body of the deceased:-

    (i) An incised wound measuring 4 cm × 1 cm over
    the frontal region of the forehead towards the
    left temporal side;

    (ii) An incised wound measuring 5 cm × 1 cm on the
    frontal portion of the forehead near the coronal
    suture;

    (iii) An incised wound measuring 3 cm × 1 cm over
    the right temporal region;

    (iv) An old stitched scar measuring about 3 cm over
    the middle of the forehead;

    (v) A lacerated wound measuring 2 cm × 1 cm on the
    dorsum of the right hand;

    (vi) Fracture of the left humerus approximately 15
    cm below the left shoulder joint;

    (vii) Fracture of the left radius and ulna approximately
    17 cm below the left elbow joint;

    (viii) Compound fracture of the left tibia and fibula
    below the tibial tuberosity accompanied by a
    crushed lacerated wound measuring 3 cm × 1
    cm; and

    (ix) Fracture of the right tibia and fibula
    approximately 10 cm below the knee joint.

    30. The witness categorically deposed that injuries Nos. 1, 2, 3

    and 5 were simple in nature, whereas injuries Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9

    were grievous. He further opined that the blunt force injuries

    could have been caused by the same blunt weapon. Although no

    individual injury, by itself, was sufficient to cause death in the

    ordinary course of nature, the cumulative effect of all the injuries

    resulted in shock and excessive haemorrhage, which was sufficient

    to cause the death of the deceased in the ordinary course of

    nature. During cross-examination, the witness stated that he

    could not say whether the deceased would have survived had

    timely medical treatment been provided. However, he remained

    firm in his opinion that the deceased died due to shock and

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    excessive bleeding caused by the cumulative effect of the injuries

    sustained by her.

    31. The medical evidence completely corroborates the ocular

    version. As per the post-mortem report (Ex.P-16), the deceased

    sustained multiple injuries, including three incised wounds on the

    forehead caused by a sharp-edged weapon and several grievous

    injuries resulting in fractures on different parts of the body caused

    by blunt weapons. PW-8 Dr. Kuldeep Singh has categorically

    opined that the deceased died due to shock and excessive

    haemorrhage resulting from the cumulative effect of all the

    injuries, which were sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to

    cause death. Merely because each injury individually may not have

    been sufficient to cause death does not diminish the effect of the

    cumulative injuries inflicted upon the deceased.

    32. The recovery evidence also lends assurance to the

    prosecution case. Pursuant to the information furnished by

    accused-appellant Chima Ram, an axe was recovered, whereas a

    blood-stained lathi was recovered at the instance of accused-

    appellant Kesra Ram. Though no blood was detected on the

    recovered axe, the same by itself is of no consequence since the

    recovery was effected several days after the occurrence and the

    possibility of the weapon having been cleaned cannot be ruled out.

    Significantly, the Forensic Science Laboratory report establishes

    that the blood found on the lathi recovered from accused-

    appellant Kesra Ram was of the same group as that of the

    deceased. The chain of custody of the seized articles has been

    duly proved by the prosecution witnesses and no material infirmity

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    has been brought on record so as to discredit the recovery

    proceedings.

    33. In view of the foregoing discussion, we are of the considered

    opinion that the prosecution has proved beyond all reasonable

    doubt that the accused-appellants, Chima Ram and Kesra Ram, in

    furtherance of their common intention, committed criminal

    trespass into the dwelling house (Dhani) of the deceased and

    intentionally caused her death by inflicting fatal injuries. The

    findings recorded by the learned trial court are based upon proper

    appreciation of the oral, medical and documentary evidence and

    do not suffer from any perversity, illegality or infirmity warranting

    interference by this Court.

    34. Consequently, the present criminal appeal preferred by the

    accused-appellant No.1 Kesra Ram, being devoid of merit,

    deserves to be and is hereby dismissed. The judgment of

    conviction and order of sentence dated 12.04.2002 passed by the

    learned Additional District & Sessions Judge (Fast Track), Bikaner,

    in Sessions Case No.36/2001 is affirmed.

    35. The appellant no.1 Kesra Ram shall undergo the remaining

    part of the sentence, if any, in accordance with law.

    36. On the question of quantum of sentence, we have also heard

    learned counsel for accused-appellant no.1 Kesra Ram and have

    carefully considered the facts and circumstances of the case as

    well as the entire material available on record. We are of the

    considered view that the learned trial court has rightly passed the

    sentence against the accused-appellant no.1 Kesra Ram and

    therefore no interference in the same is warranted.

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    [2026:RJ-JP:36207-DB] (17 of 17) [CRLA-429/2002]

    37. The accused-appellant No.1 Kesra Ram is presently in

    custody. He shall continue to undergo the sentence awarded to

    him by the learned trial court.

    38. The record of the trial court be sent back forthwith along

    with a copy of this judgment for information and necessary

    compliance.

                                        (BHUWAN GOYAL),J                                   (VINIT KUMAR MATHUR),J
    
    
    
    
                                       Kartik Dave/cpgoyal/-
    
    
    
    
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