LAXMAN KALU NIKALJE vs THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

The Supreme Court held that the appellant's act of stabbing the deceased did not amount to murder under Section 300 IPC, as the injury caused was not intended to be fatal and did not meet the criteria of being sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death. The Court found that the appellant acted with knowledge that his actions were likely to cause death, thus falling under the third part of Section 299 IPC, leading to a conviction for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 IPC. The conviction was modified accordingly, reflecting the nature of the act and the intent behind it.