Judgment

AYYANGAR, J.:

This appeal which comes before us by special leave is directed against the judgment and order of the Judicial Commissioner of Manipur acquitting the respondent and setting aside the conviction and sentence passed against him by the learned Sessions Judge.

2. This appeal was originally heard before a bench of two Judges but has been directed to be placed before this bench by reason of the learned Counsel for the appellant seeking to question the correctness of the judgment of this Court in the case of Pritam Singh v. State of Punjab, (S) AIR 1956 SC 415 in view of the decision of the English Court of Criminal Appeal in R. v. Co Connelly, 1963-3 All ER 510 and the subsequent decision of this Court in Gurcharan Singh v. State of Punjab, AIR 1963 SC 340.

3. The facts giving rise to the appeal are in brief as follows : There was an agitation by certain political parties and groups in Manipur in April, 1960 for establishing responsible Government in the Manipur area. The agitation took the form of picketing of Government offices and the residences of Government servants and blocking roads in order to paralyse the administration. After this form of agitation continued