STATE OF GUJARAT vs CHATRABHUJ MAGANLAL AND ANOTHER

The Supreme Court interpreted Section 2(c) of the Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act, 1956, clarifying that a notification empowering all Judicial Magistrates of the First Class to try offences under the Act qualifies them as 'specially empowered'. The Court held that it is not necessary for the State Government to individually select Magistrates for empowerment, as the notification effectively grants this status to all such Magistrates within their jurisdiction. The Court disapproved of previous rulings that suggested a narrower interpretation of 'specially empowered'.