SHRI A.R. ANTULAY vs SHRI R.S. NAYAK

The Supreme Court upheld the decision to refer the case to a larger bench, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive examination of the issues raised. The Court noted that the Special Judge had discharged the accused due to lack of valid sanction under Section 6(1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1952, which was contested in a prior appeal. The Court reiterated that an expeditious trial is mandated by Article 21 of the Constitution, thus rejecting the prayer for vacating the stay and directing the case to be heard by a 7-Judge bench.