MAHENDRA SUBHASHBHAI VANKHEDE vs THE STATE OF GUJARAT

The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's enhancement of the sentence under Sections 363, 366, and 376 IPC from two years and nine months to seven years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 5,000, with a default sentence of three months. The Court emphasized that the trial court's reasoning for a lesser sentence, based on the relationship being a love affair between adolescents, was inadequate given the victim's age of less than sixteen. The judgment reinforced the principle that offenses against minors, particularly involving sexual assault, necessitate stringent punishment.