In free fight, each person responsible for his own act: HC

Allahabad High Court ruled that in a free fight, each person is responsible for their own act.

The court acquitted four women and upheld conviction of two men in a 1984 clash over a 6.45-acre land dispute in Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

Two deaths occurred on the convicts' side (Zalim and Bhagirath), leading to a cross-case under Section 302 IPC.

The trial court in 1988 convicted 12 people and released them on probation; six appellants died during appeal.

Justice Sanjiv Kumar observed that when the aggressor is unclear, it is deemed a free fight with individual responsibility.