B.SESHASAYANA, J - (1.) This criminal appeal is directed against the judgment dated 31-1-2004 on the file of the III Additional Sessions Judge, Karimnagar, whereby the learned III Additional Sessions Judge found A-1-Peddi Kumaraswamy @ Muthyala Kumaraswamy, A-2-Peddi Sadaiah, A.-3-Peddi Kanakaiah and A-4-Peddi Iylamma guilty for the offences under Section 498-A I.P.C. and Section 4 of Dowry Prohibition Act and further found A-4-Peddi Kumaraswamy @ Muthyala Kumaraswamy guilty for the offences under Sections 302 and 201 I.P.C. and convicted them accordingly and sentenced A-1 to A-4 to suffer rigorous imprisonment for two years and pay a fine of Rs.500/- in default to suffer S.I. for one month each for the offence under Section 498-A I.P.C., rigorous imprisonment for two years and 2006(1) ALD (Crl.)F-49 pay fine of Rs.500/- each in default to suffer simple imprisonment for one month for the offence under Section 4 of Dowry Prohibition Act. Further sentenced A-l to suffer imprisonment for life and to pay fine of Rs.500/- in default to suffer one month S.I. for the offence under Section 302 I.P.C. and rigorous imprisonment for three years and fine of Rs.500/- in default to suffer S.I. for one month for the offence under Section 201 I.P.C.
(2.) The appellants are A-l to A-4 in S.C.No.753 of 2003 on the file of III Additional Sessions Judge, Karimnagar. They were put on trial for the offence under Sections 498-A, 302 and 201 I.P.C. and Sections 3 and 4 of Dowry Prohibition Act.
(3.) The gravamen of the charge against the accused is that on or prior to 4/5-8-2003 all the accused subjected one Pedda Vijaya Laxmi (wife of A-l) to cruelty on the ground of additional dowry and on the intervening night of 4/5-8-2003, A-l caused her death by strangulation and hanged the dead body of the deceased with a saree to a rafter to screen the offence committed by him and make the people to believe the death as suicidal.;