THE CHIEF INSPECTOR OF MINES AND ANOTHER vs LALA KARAM CHAND THAPAR ETC.

The Supreme Court held that the Indian Coal Mines Regulations, 1926, continued to be in force despite the repeal of the Mines Act, 1923, under Section 24 of the General Clauses Act, 1897, and thus the prosecution under Sections 73 and 74 of the Mines Act, 1952, was valid. The Court clarified that 'any one of the directors' in Section 76 of the Mines Act, 1952, effectively means 'every one of the directors', allowing for the prosecution of all directors. The Court also ruled that the Regulations constituted 'laws in force' under Article 20(1) of the Constitution, rejecting the argument that they had ceased to exist due to the repeal of the earlier Act.