Contempt of Courts Act

The Hindustan Times published an article on 20 September 2010 containing adverse and unverified information about the then Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, leading to contempt of court proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act. The appellants, including Sanjoy Narayan, Editor‑in‑Chief of Hindustan, appeale…

The Supreme Court, hearing a writ petition under Article 32 filed by environmental activist M.C. Mehta, examined the persistent rise in vehicular pollution in Delhi despite earlier court directions and the Bhure Lal Committee report. The Court noted that the State had failed to implement the recommended measures, with …

The Supreme Court reviewed a criminal appeal filed by Dr. U.N. Bora, ex‑CEO, and others against a Division Bench of the Gauhati High Court that had found them guilty of civil contempt for allegedly wilfully disobeying an order upholding Section 21 of the Assam Agricultural Produce Market Act, 1972. The appellants conte…

The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) appealed against a Division Bench order that quashed its acquisition of a flat requisitioned under the West Bengal Land (Requisition and Acquisition) Act, 1948. The property had been under requisition since 1979 and the High Court, in 1993, directed the Land Acquisi…

The Supreme Court entertained contempt proceedings against the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh, and the State Government for wilfully disobeying its orders that prohibited any construction on a 2.77‑acre land in Ayodhya acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The Court found that massive permanent …

Vinesh Kumar Bhasin, a retired officer of State Bank of Patiala, applied for relief under the bank's Exit Option Scheme three days before his statutory retirement and was denied. Claiming disability from a road accident, he alleged discrimination and lodged complaints with the Commissioner and Chief Commissioner for Pe…

The appellants, who cleared the Uttar Pradesh Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination but were not allotted seats in the first round of counselling, filed a writ petition seeking a mandamus directing the State to conduct second, third and mop‑up rounds of counselling as prescribed in the information brochure. The Hi…

The Supreme Court examined the practice of appointing ad‑hoc teachers in Bihar universities without any sanctioned posts. It held that such appointments violate Article 14 of the Constitution and the Bihar State University Act, 1976, which requires recruitment for sanctioned vacancies to be made by the University Servi…

The Milkmen Colony Vikas Samiti, whose dairy plots were allotted in Jodhpur in 1956, allowed their cattle to stray, creating health hazards and traffic risks for city residents. A public interest writ petition was filed under Article 226 seeking removal of stray cattle and relocation of the dairies outside the city. Th…

The petitioners, including a member of the Commission for Judicial Accountability and Reforms, filed successive writ petitions alleging that an FIR implicated senior judicial functionaries and that the Chief Justice of India (CJI) should not hear or assign the matter. They sought a Special Investigation Team and the re…

The appellant, a Junior Land Reforms Officer, issued a memo on 3 August 1987 directing police assistance to certain patta holders, contrary to an interim order of the Calcutta High Court that restrained interference with the petitioners' possession of disputed lands. The High Court held the appellant guilty of contempt…

The appellants, manufacturers of liquor, challenged Karnataka's 1989 amendment that appointed Mysore Sales International Ltd (MSIL) as the sole distributor of liquor, arguing that the interim stay order of 20 November 1989, which required payment of compensation to MSIL if the appeals were dismissed, should not bind th…

The Supreme Court examined whether the State of Karnataka and its agencies wilfully disobeyed its earlier orders dated 21‑11‑2014, 17‑05‑2022 and 19‑03‑2024 directing the issuance of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for land acquired for road widening. The petitioners alleged that the respondents delayed and altere…

The dispute arose between the Seth Group and the Mittal Group, partners in a joint venture (TFIPL) that owned land in Sector 89, Faridabad. The parties executed a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) on 4 May 2015, allocating the External Development Charges (EDC) liability of Rs.59.05 crore between them, with the Seth Group…

Maharaji Educational Trust borrowed Rs.75 crore from HUDCO and mortgaged six properties. It later exchanged 21 acres of one mortgaged property with Avas Parishad and entered into a sale agreement for the entire 63.45 acres (including the exchanged land) with SGS Constructions, which was subject to an interim injunction…

The case arose from the Bofors scandal where the CBI filed charge‑sheets against Prakash P. Hinduja and others for offences under the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The accused contended that the charge‑sheets were illegal because the CBI had not placed the investigation report before the Central Vigilance C…

The Jyoti Nagar Welfare Association filed a suit seeking a permanent injunction to prevent the Municipality of Thanesar from disturbing its possession of land that had been reserved for a public park under Town Planning Scheme No. 5, sanctioned under the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973. The trial court granted the injuncti…

In 1987 the Railway Recruitment Board, Madras advertised about 500 non‑technical posts and conducted written exams. After the results, a second written exam was ordered, which was later quashed by the Madras High Court. The Supreme Court directed the Board to appoint the 775 candidates selected in 1987 within two weeks…

The respondent, a Sub‑Inspector, applied to the Madhya Pradesh Administrative Tribunal for correction of his date of birth from 5 August 1934 to 16 July 1938. The Tribunal directed the employer to consider his representation, which was subsequently considered and rejected. The respondent then alleged contempt, claiming…

A journalist, writing as President of Citizens for Democracy, petitioned the Supreme Court under Article 32 alleging that seven TADA detainees lodged in Guwahati Medical College Hospital were handcuffed and tied with ropes, violating their constitutional rights. The State of Assam countered, claiming a high risk of esc…