Establishment of Special Courts
Section 26A of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 deals with establishment of Special Courts. The Central Government may, for the purpose of providing speedy trial of offences under this Act, by notification, establish or designate as many Special Courts as may be necessary. The Act came into force on 30 Jan 1992.
1[26A. Establishment of Special Courts.--(1) The Central Government may, for the purpose of providing speedy trial of offences under this Act, by notification, establish or designate as many Special Courts as may be necessary.
(2) A Special Court shall consist of a single judge who shall be appointed by the Central Government with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court within whose jurisdiction the judge to be appointed is working.
(3) A person shall not be qualified for appointment as a judge of a Special Court unless he is, immediately before such appointment, holding the office of a Sessions Judge or an Additional Sessions Judge, as the case may be.
Section 26A, The Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (Act 15 of 1992).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Referred to by 1
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Securities and Exchange Board of India vs S. K. Shelgikar
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Where a special statute expressly or by necessary implication divests lower courts of jurisdiction and vests it in higher courts through amendment, such amendment operates retrospectively to all pending matters, including those where offences were committed before the amendment and proceedings initiated before the amendment, unless the amendment itself expressly provides otherwise. The change of forum in such cases is not merely procedural but is mandated by express statutory language, and no person has a vested right to be tried by a particular forum once proceedings have been initiated. The legislative intent for retrospective application can be inferred from express language divesting jurisdiction from lower courts and vesting it exclusively in higher courts, as evidenced by phrases such as 'No court inferior to that of a Court of Session shall try any offence' and 'all offences committed prior to or after the date of commencement shall be tried by Special Court.'
On this section: Established Special Courts for trial of all SEBI offences committed prior to or after the 2014 Amendment, with explicit retrospective application
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 26A
What have the courts held on Section 26A of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act?
Securities and Exchange Board of India vs S. K. Shelgikar (21 Aug 2017) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Established Special Courts for trial of all SEBI offences committed prior to or after the 2014 Amendment, with explicit retrospective application.
How do I find court cases under Section 26A of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Sebi Act 26A, section 26A Sebi Act, section 26A of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Securities and Exchange Board of India vs S. K. Shelgikar (21 Aug 2017).
What should I read with Section 26A of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, and has it changed?
1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.
When did Section 26A of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act come into force?
Section 26A of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, cited as Sebi Act 26A, came into force on 30 Jan 1992, having been enacted on 04 Apr 1992. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 11. Functions of Board1315 words
- 11C. Investigation1145 words
- 12. Registration of stock-brokers, sub-brokers, share transfer agents, etc678 words
- 28A. Recovery of amounts629 words
- 15U. Procedure and powers of the Securities Appellate Tribunal494 words
- 15D. Penalty for certain defaults in case of mutual funds464 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 17 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.