Culpable homicide is not murder– If the stipulations contained in that provision are fulfilled. They are : (i) that the act was committed without pre-meditation; (ii) that there was a sudden fight; (iii) the act must be in the heat of passion upon a sudden quarrel; and (iv) the offender should not have taken undue advantage or acted in a cruel or unusual manner– <>br The High Court has evidently ignored the evidence, bearing upon the nature of the incident. The death was attributable to the assault by the respondent on the deceased, during the course of the incident. Having regard to the above facts and circumstances of the case, it is evident that the injury which was caused to the deceased was [within the meaning of Section 300 (Fourthly)] of a nature that the person committing the act knew that it was so imminently dangerous that it must in all probability cause death or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death.
We are affirmatively of the view that the judgment of the High Court is manifestly perverse and is totally contrary to the evidence on the record. The interference of this Court is warranted to obviate a complete failure or miscarriage of justice.
We allow the appeal and while setting aside the judgment of the High Court, restore the conviction of the respondent by the Trial Court under Section 302 of the Penal Code. The respondent is sentenced to suffer imprisonment for life. The respondent shall forthwith surrender to his sentence. ...State of Rajasthan =VS= Leela Ram @ Leela Dhar, (Criminal), 2019 (1) [6 LM (SC) 118] ....View Full Judgment

It is admitted by the informant in his deposition that there was land dispute. The High Court Division noted that accused Nayan gave only one blow to the left knee which is not a vital part of the body showing that he did not intend to kill the victim for which the killing cannot be termed as murder. The High Court Division concluded that it is not a case of culpable homicide amounting to murder, but one of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and, accordingly, altered the conviction to one under the second part of section 304 of the Penal Code. .....The State =VS= Nayan, (Criminal), 2018 (1) [4 LM (AD) 523] ....View Full Judgment

Culpable homicide– The facts and circumstances of this case lead us to believe that the appellant inflicted ‘shabol’ blow on the head of the deceased with the intention of causing grievous injuries which were likely to cause death, but the ‘shabol’ blow was inflicted at the spur of the moment in a sudden fight between the parties without any premeditation, as well being provoked by the deceased the appellant lost self-control. Moreover, the act of the appellant falls within the purview of Exception Nos.1 and 4 of Section 300 that is punishable under section 304 Part-I which provides that the act by which the death is caused is done with intention of causing death or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death. The High Court Division committed an error of law in convicting the appellant under Sections 302/148 of the Penal Code in holding that “the weapon used was sabol. The accused dealt sabol blow on the vital part of the body. All these show that the accused had intention to kill Khorshed.” The High Court Division failed to consider that, though the appellant has caused the death with the intention, he did the same in a sudden fight, in the heat of passion being provoked by the victim.
The appeal is dismissed with the modification of the sentence of the appellant. We, therefore, alter the conviction of the appellant from Section 302 to Section 304 Part–I and reduce the sentence to rigorous imprisonment for 10 (ten) years with a fine of Tk.1,000.00 (one thousand), in default to pay the fine, the appellant shall suffer rigorous imprisonment for 15(fifteen) days more. ...Abdus Samad(Md.) =VS= The State, (Criminal), 2021(1) [10 LM (AD) 436] ....View Full Judgment