In Brief
The appellant was acquitted by the trial court but the High Court reversed this and convicted him under IPC Sections 363 (abduction), 366 (abduction of a woman), and 376 (rape), sentencing him to concurrent terms of imprisonment. The Supreme Court allowed his appeal and set aside the conviction. The Court found that the prosecution failed to prove the prosecutrix was a minor—the age evidence relied on school records without examining the signatory, while radiological evidence showed 17-18 years, creating reasonable doubt. Additionally, the prosecutrix's trial testimony contradicted her prior police statement, and her 12-day association with the appellant without complaint undermined the rape allegation. The Court acquitted the appellant, applying the principle that doubt must benefit the accused.
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