RAMESH KUMAR vs RAM KUMAR & ORS.

The Supreme Court set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court's judgment that acquitted one respondent and reduced the conviction of the other from Section 302 IPC to Section 304 IPC, sentencing him to two years. The Court emphasized that the High Court's reliance on an arrangement between the parties undermined the integrity of criminal justice, stating that justice cannot be dispensed based on personal arrangements or gifts made to victims' families. The Court remanded the case for rehearing, asserting that such judgments cannot withstand scrutiny.