VIJAYAN vs SADANANDAN K. & ANR.

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of whether a default sentence can be imposed when compensation is awarded under Section 357(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.). The Court held that while Section 357(3) allows for compensation to be ordered, it does not explicitly provide for a default sentence in case of non-payment. The Court emphasized that recovery of compensation should follow the procedures outlined in Section 421 Cr.P.C., which pertains to the recovery of fines, and thus the imposition of a default sentence was not permissible in this context.