Supreme Court Reduces Life Sentence in 40-Year-Old Mango Dispute Murder Case

The Supreme Court reduced a 1984 life sentence to a seven-year term for three men involved in a murder following a trivial dispute in a UP village. The court cited the nature of the injuries and weapon, determining it to be culpable homicide rather than premeditated murder.

In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has reduced the life sentences of three men convicted in a four-decade-old murder case to a seven-year prison term. The case began in 1984 in a village in Uttar Pradesh, where a trivial fight over mangoes among children escalated into a fatal altercation involving the adults. Vishwanath Singh, a villager, was struck on the head with a lathi and later died from his injuries.

The trial court had initially sentenced the men to life imprisonment, a verdict upheld by the Allahabad High Court in 2022. However, the Supreme Court concluded that the incident amounted to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, considering the nature of the injuries and the weapon used. The revised sentence includes a fine of Rs 25,000 to be paid to Singh's family.

Legal representation for the convicts argued that the incident was a result of a sudden quarrel without premeditation, fitting the criteria under Exception 4 of Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code. The top court agreed, emphasizing the lack of pre-planned intent. The men, currently serving their remaining jail term, have been ordered to pay the fine within eight weeks.

(With inputs from agencies.)