STATE OF NAGALAND vs RATAN SINGH, ETC.

The Supreme Court ruled that the trial of the respondents under the Rules for the Administration of Justice and Police in the Naga Hills District, 1937, was invalid as the Criminal Procedure Code was not in force in the area, which was designated as a backward tract. The Court held that the Scheduled Districts Act, 1874, and its rules did not comply with Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, thereby violating the fundamental rights of the accused. Consequently, the High Court's writ directing the State not to proceed with the trial was upheld.