Report No. 274

Review of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971
(Limited to Section 2 of the Act)

1 See M P Jain, "Outlines of Indian Legal and Constitutional History" (Lexis Nexis; Sixth edition (2010).

2 Report of the Committee on Contempt of Courts, February 1963. Available at http://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/handle/10973/33748 (last accessed on April 16, 2018).

3 Ibid; See also In Re: Abdool and Mehtab, (1867) 8 W.R. (Cr.) 32.

4 K. Balasankaran Nair, "Law of Contempt of Court in India" (Atlantic Publishers and Distributors) 2004.

5 (1879) ILR 4 Cal 655.

6 Supra note 4.

7 AIR 1954 SC 186.

8 Section 3, Act 1926.

9 A.I.R. 1927 Lah. 610.

10 (1925) I.L.R. 6 Lah. 528.

11 Supra note 2; See also Supreme Court Bar Association v. Union of India & Anr., AIR 1998 SC 1895.

12 Available at http://doj.gov.in/sites/default/files/Law-Commission-Reports_1.pdf (Last accessed on April 4, 2018).

13 In re : Read v. Huggonson, (1742) 2 Atk. 469.

14 Halsbury's Laws of England (3rd Edn., Vol. 8) at p. 7.

15 A. Ramalingam v. V. V. Mahalinga Nadar, AIR 1966 Mad. 21.

16 In re: Bineet Kumar Singh, AIR 2001 SC 2018; See also Shakuntala Sahadevram Tewari (Smt.) & Anr. v. Hemchand M. Singhania, (1990) 3 Bom CR 82.

17 A. Ramalingam (supra).

18 His Holiness Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru & Ors. v. State of Kerala & Anr., AIR 1973 SC 1461; Smt. Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Shri Raj Narain & Anr., AIR 1975 SC 2299; Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association & Anr. v. Union of India (2016) 5 SCC 1; State of Haryana & Ors. v. Bhajanlal & Ors, AIR 1992 SC 604.

19 In re : Bineet Kumar Singh (supra).

20 In Re : Vinay Chandra Misra, AIR 1995 SC 2348; In Re : S. K. Sundaram, AIR 2001 SC 2374; Mrityunjoy Das v. Sayed Hasibur Rahaman, AIR 2001 SC 1293; J. R. Parashar, Advocate & Ors. v. Prashant Bhushan, Advocate & Ors., AIR 2001 SC 3395; Chotu Ram v. Urvashi Gulati & Anr., AIR 2001 SC 3468, AIR 2001 SC 3468.

21 (1999) 7 SCC 569; and T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad through the Amicus Curiae v. Ashok Khot & Anr., AIR 2006 SC 2007.

22 In Re : Arundhati Roy, AIR 2002 SC 1375.

23 Priya Gupta & Anr. v. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare & Ors., (2013)11 SCC 404.

24 AIR 1991 SC 2176.

25Delhi Development Authority v. Skipper Construction Co. (Pvt.) Ltd. & Anr., AIR 1996 SC 2005; Supreme Court Bar Association v. Union of India, AIR 1998 SC 1895; and Vitusah Oberoi & Ors. v. Court of its own motion, AIR 2017 SC 225.

26 Income Tax Appellate Tribunal through President v. V. K. Agarwal & Anr., AIR 1999 SC 452

27 Ravi S. Naik v. Union of India & Ors., AIR 1994 SC 1558.

28 Permanent Edn. Vol. 10 at 429 cited in Durga Das Basu, Commentary on the Constitution of India 5616 (LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa, Nagpur, Vol. 5, 8th edn.).

29 Ibid.

30 State of Bombay v. P., AIR 1959 Bom 182.

31 J.R. Parashar v. Prashant Bhushan, AIR 2001 SC 3395; and Het Ram Beniwal & Ors. v. Raghuveer Singh & Ors., AIR 2016 SC 4940.

32 Rama Dayal Markarha v. State of M.P., AIR 1978 SC 921.

33 Delhi Development Authority v. Skipper Construction Co. (Pvt.) Ltd. & Anr., AIR 1996 SC 2005.

34 In Re : Ajay Kumar Pandey, AIR 1997 SC 260; See also, Pritam Pal v. High Court of M.P. Jabalpur, Through Registrar, AIR 1992 SC 904.

35 Kalyaneshwari v. Union of India & Ors., (2012) 12 SCC 599.

36 Rajesh Kumar Singh v. High Court of Judicature of M.P., AIR 2007 SC 2725; and Het Ram Beniwal & Ors. v. Raghuveer Singh & Ors., AIR 2016 SC 4940.

37 State of Haryana & Ors. v. Bhajan Lal & Anr., AIR 1993 SC 1348.

38 Bal Thackery v. Haris Pimpalkhute & Anr., AIR 2005 SC 396.

39 Muthu Karuppan v. Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, AIR 2011 SC 1645.

40 C. K. Daphtary v. O. P. Gupta & Ors., AIR 1971 SC 1132.

41 Sukhdev Singh Sodhi v. Chief Justice S. Teja Singh & the Hon'ble Judges of the Pepsu High Court , AIR 1954 SC 186.

42 J.R. Parashar, supra note 31.

43 Nagar Mahapalika of Kanpur v. Mohan Singh (1966) All WR 179 (SC); and Sahdeo @ Sahdeo Singh v. State of U.P. & Ors., (2010) 3 SCC 705.

44 Baradakanta v. The Registrar, Orissa High Court, AIR 1974 SC 710.

45 In re: C. S. Karnan (supra).

46 Cartwright's Case, 114 Mass. 230.

47 [1999] 2 AC 294.

48 (1887) 35 Ch D 449, 455.

49 Durga Das Basu, Commentary on the Constitution of India 5628 (LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa, Nagpur, Vol. 5, 8th Edition).

50 Shri Baradakanta Mishra v. The Registrar of Orissa High Court & Anr., AIR 1974 SC 710 (Hon. Iyer, J. - separate but concurring opinion) see para 65 and 67.

51 Ibid 82.

52 See: Delhi Judicial Services Association v. Union of India, 1998 (2) SCC 369; The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal v. V.K Aggarwal & Anrs., AIR 1999 SC 452; In Re : Vinay Chandar Mishra, AIR 1995 SC 2348 and Pallav Sheth v. Custodian & Ors., AIR 2001 SC 2763.

53 C. K. Daphtary v. O. P. Gupta & Ors., AIR 1971 SC 1132.

54 Judgment and Order dated August 3, 2012 in Constitution Petition number 77 of 2012 etc. etc. etc..

55 Available at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/49 (last accessed on April 2, 2018).

56 The Law Commission (Law Comm No. 335) "Contempt of Court: Scandalising the Court", (2012) [London: (The Stationery Office)], Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246860 /0839.pdf (last accessed on April 2, 2018); See also In re: C. S. Karnan (supra)

57 Ibid

58 Available at https://www.justice.gov/usam/usam-9-39000-contempt-court (Last Accessed on April 4, 2018)

59 18 U.S. Code § 401 - Power of court, Available at https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I/chapter-21; (Last Accessed on April 4, 2018).

60 18 U.S. Code Chapter 233 - Contempts, Available at https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-II/chapter-233 (Last Accessed on April 4, 2018).

61 Chadwick v. Janecka (3d Cir. 2002).

62 Schenck v. United States 249 US 47 (1919); See also Supra note 56.

63 R. K. Garg v. State of H.P., AIR 1981 SC 1382; and Mahipal Singh Rana v. State of U.P., AIR 2016 SC 3302.

64 M. B. Sanghi, Advocate v. High Court of Punjab and Haryana, AIR 1991 SC 1834.

65 L. D. Jaikwal v. State of U.P., AIR 1984 SC 1374; Chetak Construction Ltd. M/s. v. Om Prakash & Ors., AIR 1998 SC 185; Radha Mohan Lal v. Rajasthan High Court, AIR 2003 SC 1467; and Arun Kumar Yadav v. State of U.P., (2013) 14 SCC 127.

66 Jhareswar Prasad Paul v. Tarak Nath Ganguly, AIR 2002 SC 2215; V.M. Manohar Prasad v. N. Ratnam Raju, (2004) 13 SCC 610; Bihar Finance Service H.C. Co-op. Soc. Ltd. v. Gautam Goswami & Ors., AIR 2008 SC 1975; Union of India & Ors. v. Subedar Devassy PV, AIR 2006 SC 909; and Sudhir Vasudeva & Ors. v. M. George Ravishekaran & Ors., AIR 2014 SC 950.

67Union of India & Anr. v. Ashok Kumar Aggarwal, (2013) 16 SCC 147.

68 C. Ravichandran Iyer v. Justice A. M. Bhattacharjee & Ors., (1995) 5 SCC 457; In Re : Vinay Chandra Mishra, AIR 1995 SC 2348; In Re: Arundhari Roy, (2002) 3 SCC 343.

69 Arun Kumar Yadav v. State of Uttar Pradesh Thru Distt. Judge, (2013) 7 SCALE 542.

70 Perspective Publications (Pvt.) Ltd. v. State of Maharashtra, AIR 1971 SC 221; and Gobind Ram v. State of Maharashtra, AIR1972 SC 989.

71 P. Ramanathan Aiyer, Major Law Lexicon (4th Ed., 2010), Vol. II, Lexis Nexis.

72 Baradakanta Mishra v. Bhimsen Dixit, AIR 1972 SC 2466.

73 E.M. Sankaran Namboodripad v. T. Narayanan Nambiar, AIR 1970 SC 2015.

74 S. Abdul Krim v. M. K. Prekash, AIR 1976 SC 859; Chhotu Ram v. Urvashi Gulati & Anr. (2001) 7 SCC 530; Anil Ratan Sarkar & Ors. v. Hirak Ghosh & Ors., AIR 2002 SC 1405; Daroga Singh & Ors. v. B.K. Pandey, AIR 2004 SC 2579; All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam v. L.K. Tripathi & Ors., AIR 2009 SC 1314; R S Sujatha v. State of Karnataka, (2011) 5 SCC 689; and Ashok Kumar Aggarwal v. Neeraj Kumar & Anr., (2014) 3 SCC 602.

75 Murray & Co. v. Ashok Kr. Newatia & Anr. AIR 2000 SC 833.

76 See: M. C. Mehta v. Union of India & Ors., AIR 2003 SC 3469.

77 Afzal & Anr. v. State of Haryana & Ors., 1994 (1) SCC 425; and Murray & Co. v. Ashok Kr. Newatia, AIR 2000 SC 833; See also: Bank of India v. Vijay Transport & Ors., (2000) 8 SCC 512.

78 In Re : P.C. Sen, (supra).

79 See also Subramanian Swamy v. Arun Shourie, AIR 2014 SC 3020.

80 Capt. Dushyant Somal v. Smt. Sushma Somal & Anr., AIR 1981 SC 1026.

81 See also: Dravya Finance (P) Ltd. v. S. K. Roy, (2017) 1 SCC 75.

82 "Indian Judiciary", Annual Report 2016-17, published by the Supreme Court of India.

83 Supra Note 56.

84 Indian Judiciary, Annual Report 2016-17 published by the Supreme Court of India