Supreme Court of India Judgements

37260 Judgements hosted as on 04/06/2026 - Search (FREE), Subscribe, Read & Download

Category: Contempt

Contempt

Contempt of Court — Wilful disobedience of Court orders — Non-compliance with Supreme Court’s direction to de-seal premises for nearly three months despite petitioner’s repeated representations and legal notices — Officials treated judicial orders with undue delay and inaction — Such conduct undermines rule of law and judiciary’s authority

May 31, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 606 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH BHARAT KUMAR BADLANI Vs. SEEMA CHAUDHARY ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Contempt Petition (Civil) No …of…

Contempt

Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 — Sections 2(c), 19 — Criminal Contempt — Scandalising the court — An advocate’s public allegations against a sitting judge, made via a press conference and repeated in court applications, can constitute criminal contempt by scandalising the court, lowering its authority, and interfering with judicial proceedings — Such conduct is unbecoming of a legal professional and undermines public confidence in the judiciary.

Apr 25, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 390 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH NILESH C. OJHA Vs. HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY THROUGH SECRETARY AND OTHERS ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep…

Contempt

Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 — Sections 2(c), 12, 19 — Criminal Contempt — Power to Punish and Forgive — The power to punish for contempt carries the concomitant power to forgive when the contemnor demonstrates genuine remorse and repentance, making the extension of mercy an integral part of judicial conscience — Contempt jurisdiction is neither a personal armour for Judges nor a sword to silence criticism — Court must treat the acknowledgment of contrition as a virtue and extend forgiveness where the contemnor sincerely acknowledges the lapse and seeks to atone for it. (Para 1)

Dec 13, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1408 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH VINEETA SRINANDAN Vs. HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY ON ITS OWN MOTION ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta,…

Contempt

Contempt of Court — Initiating contempt proceedings — Clear and unequivocal terms of the underlying order — A Contempt Petition can be dismissed summarily only if the underlying order, the non-compliance of which is alleged, is genuinely unclear, ambiguous, or susceptible to two equally reasonable interpretations — Where the High Court dismissed a Contempt Petition holding that the underlying order was capable of two interpretations, but the Supreme Court found, upon reading the order as a whole, that there were clear and categorical directions and recorded statements regarding handing over of possession and payment of compensation, the dismissal of the Contempt Petition was erroneous. (Paras 1, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Dec 7, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1379 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH BHASKAR GOVIND GAVATE (NOW DECEASED) THROUGH HIS LEGAL HEIRS. Vs. THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND OTHERS ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri…

Constitution Contempt

Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 — Section 2(c) — Criminal Contempt — Obstruction of administration of justice — Conscious non-disclosure of material facts before the Court that contaminates judicial sanctity and causes irreparable prejudice amounts to grave contempt and obstruction of justice, falling within criminal contempt.

May 30, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 784 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH BINDU KAPUREA Vs. SUBHASHISH PANDA AND OTHERS ( Before : Surya Kant and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, JJ. ) Contempt Petition (Civil)…

Constitution Contempt

Freedom of Speech and Expression — Open Justice — Subjudice Principle — Contempt of Court – Such a direction, being a form of prior restraint, must satisfy twin tests of necessity and proportionality, applicable only in cases of real and substantial risk of prejudice to fairness of trial or proper administration of justice — Courts must be open to public observations, debates, and constructive criticism, even on subjudice matters, as open justice instills faith and checks judicial caprice

May 14, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 656 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC. Vs. ANI MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED AND OTHERS ( Before : Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, JJ. )…

Constitution Contempt

Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 — Sections 3 and 4 — The Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a writ petition against Patanjali Ayurved Limited, Acharya Balkrishna, and Baba Ramdev for spreading misinformation about modern medicine — Whether Patanjali violated court orders by continuing to make misleading claims about their products’ medicinal efficacy —IMA argued that Patanjali continued to make false claims about their products despite court orders prohibiting such actions — Patanjali and its representatives claimed that any misleading statements were inadvertent and offered apologies — The court found Patanjali in contempt for violating its orders and issued further restrictions on their advertising practices — The court emphasized the importance of upholding the dignity of the judiciary and preventing misleading advertisements —The court referred to the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, and relevant case law to justify its decision —Patanjali was found in contempt, and further measures were imposed to ensure compliance with court orders.

Aug 18, 2024 sclaw

2024 INSC 605 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH IN RE : PATANJALI AYURVED LIMITED THROUGH ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACHARYA BALKRISHNA AND BABA RAMDEV IN THE MATTER OF : INDIAN…

Bail Granted Contempt

Aug 11, 2024 sclaw

2024 INSC 588 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH TUSHARBHAI RAJNIKANTBHAI SHAH — Appellant Vs. KAMAL DAYANI AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, JJ.…

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Service

Service Law — Promotion — Entitlement to promotion to Chief Medical Director (Higher Administrative Grade) in Indian Railway Medical Service — Appellant was denied promotion despite being eligible, with a junior officer being promoted instead — Appellant’s case was rejected by the Tribunal and High Court based on her grading in Annual Confidential Reports

Jun 4, 2026 sclaw
Arbitration

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 29A — Mandate of Arbitrator — Extension of mandate — In the absence of specific statutory provisions, party autonomy and minimal judicial intervention are guiding principles — If a party participates in proceedings and does not object to the extension of mandate, they may be estopped from challenging the award on that ground after it is passed.

Jun 4, 2026 sclaw
Arbitration

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (the Act) — Section 33 and Section 34(3) — Limitation for filing application to set aside arbitral award — Exclusion of time spent in disposal of applications under Section 33 — Court held that period spent in disposal of Section 33 applications by Arbitral Tribunal must be excluded for computing limitation under Section 34(3) of the Act, regardless of whether the Section 33 applications were ultimately allowed or dismissed.

Jun 4, 2026 sclaw
Constitution

Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 14, 15(1), 16, 39(a) & 39(c) — Uttar Pradesh Essential Commodities (Regulation of Sale and Distribution Control) Order, 2016 (2016 Order) — Clause 2(p) — Government Order (G.O.) No — 6 of 2019 — Paragraph IV(10) — Exclusion of married daughter from definition of ‘family’ for compassionate appointment as fair price shop dealer — Held, exclusion is based on gender stereotypes and lacks rational nexus with the object of the scheme, violating Articles 14 and 15(1) of the Constitution — Marital status cannot be the sole criterion for dependency — Dependency is a question of fact.

Jun 4, 2026 sclaw