Constitution of Special Courts- (1) The Government may, for the purpose

of providing speedy enquiry into any alleged act of land grabbing, and trial of

cases in respect of the ownership and title to, or lawful possession of, the land grabbed, by notification, constitute

1[a Special Court].

1. (2) A Special Court shall consist of a Chairman and 2[four other members], to be appointed by the Government. 3[(3) The Chairman shall be a person who is or has been a Judge of a High Court and of the other four members, two shall be persons 4[who are or have been District Judges] (hereinafter referred to as Judicial Members) and the other two members shall be persons who hold or have held a post not below the rank of a District Collector (hereinafter referred to as Revenue Members): Provided that the appointment of a person who was a Judge of a High Court as the Chairman of the Special Court shall be made after consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned: Provided further that where a sitting Judge of a High Court is to be appointed as Chairman, such appointment shall be made after nomination by the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned, with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of India].
2. (4) The Government may, from time to time likewise, reconstitute 5[the Special Court] constituted under sub-section (1) or may, at any time, abolish such Special Court. 6[(4A) The Chairman or other member shall hold office as such for a term of two years from the date on which he enters upon his office, or until the Special Court is reconstituted or abolished under sub-section (4), whichever is earlier. (4B)(a) Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the jurisdiction, powers and authority of the Special Court may be exercised by benches thereof one comprising of the Chairman, a judicial member and a Revenue member and the other comprising of a Judicial Member and a Revenue Member.
   • (b) Where the bench comprises of the Chairman, he shall be the Presiding Officer of such a bench and where the bench consists of two members, the Judicial Member shall be the Presiding Officer.
   • (c) It shall be competent for the Chairman eithersuo motu or on a reference made to him to withdraw any case pending before the bench comprising of two members and dispose of the same or to transfer any case from one bench to another bench in the interest of justice.
   • (d) Where it is reasonably apprehended that the trial of Civil Liability of a person accused of an offence under this Act, is likely to take considerable time, it shall be competent for the Chairman to entrust the trial of the criminal liability of such offender to another bench in the interest of speedy disposal of the case.
   • (e) Where a case under this Act is heard by a bench consisting of two members and the members thereof are divided in opinion, the case with their opinions shall be laid before another judicial member or the Chairman and that member or Chairman, as the case may be after such hearing as he thinks fit, shall deliver his opinion and the decision or order shall follow that opinion.] 7[(5) The quorum to constitute a meeting of any bench of the Special Court shall be two. .Substituted by Act No. 16 of 1987, s 4. .Substituted by Act No. 16 of 1987, s 4. .Substituted by Act No. 6 of 1988, s 2. . Substituted by Act No. 6 of 1988, s 2. .Substituted by Act No. 16 of 1987, s 4. .Substituted by Act No. 16 of 1987, s 4. . Substituted by Act No. 16 of 1987, s 4. (5A) The Special Court may, by notification, make regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder relating to the procedure to be followed for the conduct of the cases and for regulating the manner of taking decisions. (5B) The Special Court may cause a public notice of the substance of such regulations for the information of the general public. (5C) Every regulation made under this section shall, immediately after it is made, be laid before the Legislative Assembly of the State if it is in session, and if it is not in session in the session immediately following for a total period of fourteen days which may be comprised in one session or in two successive sessions and if before the expiration of the session in which it is so laid or the session immediately following the Legislative Assembly agrees in making any modifications in the regulation or in the annulment of the regulation, the regulation shall from the date on which the modification or annulment is notified, have effect only in such modified form or shall stand annulled, as the case may be, so however that any such modification or annulments shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that regulation. (5D) (i)Notwithstanding anything in the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (V of 1908) the Special Court may follow its own procedure which shall not be inconsistent with the principles of natural justice and fair play and subject to the other provisions of this Act and of any rules made thereunder while deciding the Civil liability.
     • (ii) Notwithstanding anything contained in Section 260 or Section 262 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) every offence punishable under this Act shall be tried in a summary way and the provisions of Sections 263 to 265 (both inclusive) of the said Code shall, as far as may be, apply to such trial.
     • (iii) When a person is convicted of an offence of land grabbing attended by criminal force or show of force or by criminal intimidation, and it appears to the Special Court that, by such force or show of force or intimidation the land of any person has been grabbed, the Special Court may if it thinks fit, order that possession of the same be restored to that person after evicting by force, if necessary, any other person who may be in possession of the property.]
3. (6) No act or proceeding of 1[the Special Court] shall be deemed to be invalid by reason only of the existence of any vacancy among its members or any defect in the constitution or re-constitution thereof.