Contempt of Court and Legislatures

The law of contempt continues to be developed everyday not only by Indian courts but also by the courts of USA, UK, Australia, Canada and other countries. This single law has a significant role in shaping ordered societies and communities and pacific settlement of disputes and maintaining law and order. This law is in the general interests of public at large as anarchy will set in if the authority and dignity of the courts is imperilled and eroded by an act of disobedience of the orders or undue and unjustificable interference or scandalazing the courts. Apart from discussing the history and genesis of the law of contempt and recognition of summary powers for punishing contempt many other facets have been discussed lucidly and precisely by Justice J.D. Kapoor who is a sitting judge of Delhi High Court. The unholy `trinity` of disobedience of the orders and directions of the court; undue interference in the administration of justice by varied acts and scandalising the courts by bringing the judicial system or the court or the judge into disrepute or disrespect or offending its dignity or lowering its authority have been discussed and discerned in readable manner. Leading cases of topical interests have been profusely inserted in such a manner so as to minimize the need to search for the facts and law from the law journals.