ANANT GOPAL SHEOREY vs THE STATE OF BOMBAY

The Supreme Court held that Section 342A of the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Act (26 of 1955) applies retrospectively to pending proceedings, allowing an accused to appear as a witness in their own defense. The Court found that the High Court's interpretation of Section 116 of the Amending Act was incorrect, as it did not restrict the application of the new provision to future cases only. Consequently, the Court allowed the appeal and reversed the High Court's decision, affirming the applicability of the amended procedure in the ongoing trial.