Commonwealth v. Bell

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Roberts,

We are here called upon to determine whether Section 2 of the act providing for the mandatory disposition of detainers lodged against persons imprisoned in any state, county or municipal penal or correctional institution, 1 commonly known as the “180 day rule”, is self-executing. Section 2 2 provides that if the “action” is not brought to trial within the 180 days required by Section l, 3 - the indictment shall be dismissed. We hold that Section 2 operates automatically. The statutory language clearly mandates that after the expiration of the 180-day period, “. .…