The Contempt Law and Practice — Articles 129 and 215 of the Constitution of India, Contempt of Courts Act, 1971

You are in a Mumbai court corridor, your phone buzzes, and a friend has posted a furious reel about a judge who refused bail to someone you know. Can you share it? Can you comment “this judge is a joke”? Every court in India can punish you for disrespect to it, and yet you are also allowed to criticise a judgment. The law of contempt is the line between the two, and an advocate stands closer to that line than anyone else.

In two minutes

Contempt is conduct that disobeys a court or attacks its authority or the course of justice; the Supreme Court and High Courts are courts of record with a constitutional power to punish it (Articles 129 and 215), and the Contempt of Courts Act 1971 defines it as civil or criminal and limits the punishment.

The rest of this chapter

The full explanation, the cheat sheet, every previous-year question at every mark weight, the quiz and the answer skeletons are part of Practical Training – I: Professional Ethics and Professional Accounting System on LexBlox Semester. Sign in to unlock the subject, or read Module 1 of Legal Language and Writing free.