The Rajasthan High Court had acquitted an individual convicted of raping a minor, citing the victim's silence and tears during cross-examination as grounds for reasonable doubt. The court ruled that without direct testimony, the accused deserved the benefit of the doubt. However, the Supreme Court allowed the State's appeal, restoring the trial court’s conviction and sentencing the accused to 7 years of imprisonment under Section 376 of the IPC (rape). The Supreme Court expressed regret that the victim and her family had to endure nearly four decades of anguish before receiving justice.