Judgement

BALAKRISHNA ERADI, J. : - By Criminal Miscellaneous Petition No. 944 of 1987 the petitioner has approached this Court with the prayer to revive a contempt petition which had been previously withdrawn by him on December 12, 1986. It is necessary to set out the previous history of these proceedings in order to understand the factual background against which the said prayer had been made.

2. The petitioner is the Secretary of an association of individuals called the "Conscientious Group". He filed contempt petition No. 4210 of 1986 alleging that the conduct of the first respondent in making certain adverse comments about the Judges who delivered the judgment of this Court in Civil Appeal No. 860 of 1986 (National Anthem Case) constitutes criminal contempt and that the first respondent as well as respondents Nos. 2 to 5 who were responsible for publishing the said statement in certain newspapers should be punished by taking action against them under S. 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act (70 of 1971) read with Rules framed by this Court for regulating the proceedings taken under the Act for contempt of this Court. When the said petition came tip before a Bench of this Court on Sep