Taking note of large number of contempt appeals being filed by government officials, the Telangana High Court has decided not to allow such appeals unless the officials held guilty of contempt of court furnish all details in their petitions.
A bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy directed the HC Registry not to entertain any appeals by contemnors (persons held guilty for contempt of court) unless their respective appeal petitions contain specific details. The order was issued by the bench two days ago while hearing a batch of contempt appeal pleas.
The bench made it clear that a contempt appeal petition of a government officer should mention if he or she faced contempt proceedings in the past. If so, details of the matter along with the copies of orders passed in the contempt petition should be filed. If an officer was held guilty of contempt of court for violating court order or breaching it, whether he or she filed an appeal against such order. The officer should also explain if any interim orders were passed by the court in the matter.
The officer held guilty for breach of the court must explain if he suffered any adverse order of the court. Details of such adverse orders should also be mentioned in the appeal petition, the bench said. The CJ observed that the HC was being inundated with contempt appeal petitions. “This court would like to know antecedents of each and every officer approaching it by filing contempt appeals,” the CJ noted.
In four contempt appeals, filed by three government officials and manager of a private company, the bench directed the contemnors to deposit the fine amounts of ₹2,000 each imposed on them in the HC. The bench stayed the punishment of three months of simple imprisonment awarded by a single judge in a contempt of court following depositing of the fine amounts by them.
The single judge held them guilty as they disobeyed the order of the court not to acquire the lands of some farmers for Kaleshwaram project in Siddipet district.
