State Of M.P vs Bala @ Balaram

The Supreme Court held that the Madhya Pradesh High Court's reduction of the sentence under Section 376(2)(g) IPC was illegal as it failed to provide adequate and special reasons for deviating from the minimum prescribed sentence of 10 years. The Court emphasized that the High Court's judgment was cryptic and showed a lack of consideration for the evidence presented, thus violating the procedural requirements under Sections 384, 385, and 386 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Consequently, the Supreme Court restored the original sentence imposed by the trial court.