Dixit, J.

[1] The opponent, who is the Home Minister of Saurashtra, has filed against the applicant, an author and publisher, a complaint for an offence of defamation under section 500, Penal Code. The learned Chief Presidency Magistrate is trying that case and in the course of trial the opponent has been examined-in-chief. The cross-examination of the opponent was commenced on 23-11-1954, when the applicant himself cross-examined the opponent for four hours. The cross-examination was continued on 24-11-1954, and Mr. 1. C. Dalai appearing for the accused-applicant cross-examined the opponent for two hours and forty minutes on that day. The cross-examination was then continued on the next day i. e. , on 25-11-1954, and the cross-examination lasted for two hours. The cross-examination was again continued on 26th November, and it went on for four and a half hours. It appears that, in all, the cross-examination has lasted so far for 13 hours. At the end of the day's hearing on 26-11-1954, the learned Magistrate asked Mr. Dalai as regards his estimate of time in concluding the cross-examination of the opponent and Mr. Dalai then stated, as appears from the order, that he would t