The fact~ are in a brief compass. The deceased, Viswanatham Pillai, was the village Munsif (Headman). On April 26, 1971, at about 10.00 P.M. he was sleeping on a bench outside his cattle-shed in the open space, which is shown in the site plan (Ex. P15) at No. 9. The younger brother of the deceased, Pandurangam (PW 4), who is a leper, was also sleeping on the eastern parapet of the sluice of the. north Boothagudi channel, 'which is shown at No. 5 in the site plan (Ex. P15). Pandurangam woke up at about 11.15 P.M. on hearing lhe shout of his deceased brother crying "younger brother : Karunakaran is running after stabbing me with knife. 'Catch him' ". He got up anci saw the accused Karunakaran running on the eastern bank of the channel with a knife 8 inches long. The electric lights were burning in the vicinity. He also saw two persons rnnning ahead of accused Karuhakaran. He further saw his two brothers, Gnanasakaran (PW 1) and Thirn-gnanasambandam (PW 3) along with Ramasamy (PW 2) chasing them. He ran to his elder brother who came from the side of the bench where he was sleeping and who fell down on the southern side of the slui'ce. When he went near him he was already dead. He had bleeding injuries on several parts of his body. A crowd gathered c:nd Pandurangam was asked to lodge information at .the police station which hCJdid. The doctor (PW 16) who held the postmortem examination found nine injuries two of which he described as incised and four as punctured incised, two more as punctured and the remaining one as a vertic<J incised wonnd. These were on the left upper arm, left.fore-arm, on"the left side of the epigastrium, on the left side of the anterior axillary line, on the left mid-axillary line, on the right side 0£ the epigastrium and on the left side of the back. Injuries are verv severe.;and accormng to the doctor death was due to shock and haemotrhage on account of the injuries.
