Singaravelu, J. - (1.)The criminal revision petitioner seeks to set aside the proceedings in C. C. 1210 of 1978 on the file of the Judicial Second Class Magistrate, Chidambaram.
(2.)The facts are these. The petitioner a resident of K. Addor, Chidambaram taluk, was charged by the Sub-Inspector of Police, Chidambaram taluk. Police Station with having committed an offence on 14-1-1978, under Section 7(1)(b) of the Protection of Civil Rights Act (Central Act 22 of 1955). The case was taken on file as C. C. 1210 of 1978 by the Judicial Second Class Magistrate, Chidambaram. The trial of the case is almost at the concluding stage.
(3.)The petitioner appears to have resisted this proceeding urging various contentions including a move for transfer of the case, before the Court of Session, South Arcot, and this court did not pursue any of these. He has now come up on revision urging firstly that the learned Judicial Second Class Magistrate Chidambaram bad no jurisdiction to take cognizance of a case under the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, in view of the express provisions in the Act that an offence under the Act should be tried only summarily by a Judicial First Class Magistrate and secondly that Section 14 of the Act, which provides for a presumption, is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.