The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
74. Special courts
and Public Prosecutor. -
1.
Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Act or in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the
Central Government or the State Government in their respective jurisdictions
may, if consider expedient and necessary in the public interest, for the
purposes of the trial of offences relating to grievous injury or death of the
consumer for which punishment of imprisonment for more than three years has
been prescribed under this Act, constitute, by notification in the Official
Gazette, as many Special Courts with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of
the High Court as may be necessary for such area or areas and for exercising
such jurisdiction, as may be specified in the notification.
2.
A
Special Court may, on its own motion, or on an application made by the Public
Prosecutor and if it considers it expedient or desirable so to do, sit for any
of its proceedings at any place other than its ordinary place of sitting.
3.
The
trial under this Act of any offence by a Special Court shall have precedence
over the trial of any other case against the accused in any other court (not
being a Special Court) and shall be concluded in preference to the trial of
such other case and accordingly the trial of such other case shall remain in
abeyance.
4.
For
every Special Court, the Central Government or the State Government, as the
case may be, shall appoint a person to be the Public Prosecutor and may appoint
more than one person to be the Additional Public Prosecutors: Provided that the
Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be, may also
appoint for any case or class or group of cases, a Special Public Prosecutor.
5.
A
person shall not be qualified to be appointed as a Public Prosecutor or an
Additional Public Prosecutor or a Special Public Prosecutor under this section
unless he has been in practice as an Advocate for not less than seven years or
has held any post, for a period of not less than seven years, under the Union
or a State, requiring special knowledge of law.