HYDERABAD: A division bench of Telangana High Court has recently upheld the order of the trial court in sentencing 11 convicts to life imprisonment for causing the death of a person in 2003. The convicts suspected that death of two of their family members earlier might be due to sorcery by the deceased person.10 days prior to the incident, which took place on April 30, 2003, Chinthala Janardhan, died due to ill-health. On April 29, his relative, who was suffering from fever, went out to consult a doctor but suffered a heart attack and died.
When two of them died within a span of 10 days, their family members and villagers suspected that both the deaths might be due to sorcery and decided to find the person responsible. After registering the case, the police arrested all the accused persons and were charge-sheeted for offences under various sections of IPC, including Section 302. After hearing the appeal, the division bench comprising CJ Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy dismissed the appeal saying that the prosecution has firmly established its case against the appellants by producing cogent and convincing oral and documentary evidence regarding the above incident.