ASGARALI NAZARALI SINGAPORAWALLA vs THE STATE OF BOMBAY

The Supreme Court held that the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1952, which mandates that offences under Sections 161, 165, or 165-A of the IPC and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act be tried exclusively by Special Judges, does not violate Article 14 of the Constitution. The Court found that the classification of these offences was based on an intelligible differentia related to the objective of expediting trials for bribery and corruption. Consequently, the High Court's order for retrial by a Special Judge was upheld as the Presidency Magistrate lost jurisdiction upon the Act's commencement.