STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH vs BODEM SUNDARA RAO

The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred in reducing the respondent's sentence for rape under Section 376 IPC from ten years to four years without adequate justification. The Court emphasized that after the amendment to Section 376(1), a minimum sentence of seven years is mandated, and the High Court failed to provide special reasons for deviating from this requirement. Consequently, the Supreme Court restored the original sentence of ten years imposed by the Trial Court, reaffirming the conviction and the seriousness of the offence.