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1992 Supreme(AP) 119

Andhra Pradesh High Court
Judges : A.LAKSHMANA RAO, P.L.N.SHARMA
C.V.L.Subrahmanyam - Appellant
Versus
K.Venkateshwarlu - Respondent
C.C.No.291/90
Decided On : 02-28-92
Advocates Appeared :
Sri P. Venkateswarlu,Sri E. Ella Reddy

Headnote:CONTEMPT OF COURTS ACT, 1991, Secs2(c) and 20 - Resolution passed by governing body of a College imposing punishment of withholding two annual increments to a lecturer with cumulative effect for filing a third party affidavit in a suit filed against College Amounts to criminal Contempt and the respondents who are the Members of the Governing body are liable for punishment

       Resolution passed on 6-11-1988 and communicated to lecturer on 6-4-1989 Contempt case filed by lecturer on 3-4-1990 - Notice issued by High Court on 14-8-1990 - Contempt application is barred by limitation under Sec20;

       Held : In this case, the resolution passed by the governing body on 6-11-1988 punishing the petitioner for filing the affidavit in an application in a suit filed against the College interfere or tends to interfere with the administration of justice within the meaning of Clause (c) of Sec2 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 and therefore, constitutes criminal contempt of the Court and the respondents are liable to be published on that ground If a person is proceeded against on the ground that he gave evidence in a Court of Law, it amounts to interference with the administration of justice and it amounts to Contempt of the· Court and the person who indulges can be punished by the appropriate Court

       In this case, resolution of the governing body which is said to be the act of Contempt was passed on 6-11-1988 The same was communicated to the petitioner on 6-4-1989 Notice was issued by the High Court on the application for application on 14-8-1990 ie, beyond one year from the date of the alleged Contempt, viz, 6-4-1989 Mere filing of the application on 3-4-1990 will not save limitation under Section 20 of the Act Therefore, the application for Contempt of Court is barred by limitation

P. L. NARASIMHA SARMA, J.

( 1 ) THIS application is filed for punishing respondents 1 to 5 under the Contempt of Courts Act (Act 70 of 1971) (hereinafter referred to as the Act ).

( 2 ) THE facts which are either admitted or borne out of the record are as follows; Petitioner is working as a Lecturer in Economics in C. S. R. Sarma college/ Ongole from 1973. He was elected as the Chairman of the Staff association. As the Chairman of the Staff Association, he became the Officio member of the Governing Body of the C. S. R. Sarma College, Ongole (for short college ). The College was one of the centres for conducting Intermediate public examinations. Certain irregularities with regard to invigilation seem to have been committed during the course of the conduct of the Intermediate public examinations, with which we are not concerned in these proceedings. The governing body of the college met on 24-4-1988 to consider the alleged irregularities committed as mentioned above. It is stated by the petitioner that the said item was not in the Agenda for discussion and that it is a matter which has to be dealt with by the Board of Intermediate as per the rules and not for the governing body. However, the governing body passed a resolution constituting a committee to enquire into the alleged irregularities in spite of the dissent of the petitioner. Questioning the said resolution constituting an enquiry committee, the affected lecturers filed O. S. No. 23 of 1988 in the Court of Vacation Civil judge, Ongole. The said suit was subsequently re-numbered as O. S. No. 286 of 1988. Plaintiffs therein filed I. A. No. 194 of 1988 in the said suit for injunction with which we are not concerned in these proceedings. The petitioner herein filed an affidavit in the said I. A. No. 194 of 1988 as third party to the suit. In the said third party affidavit filed by the petitioner, he stated that constitution of the committee for enquiring into the alleged irregularities was not on the Agenda and when the matter was brought up by the Secretary and Correspondent for consideration, he objected for the matter being raised in the Governing body meeting and his protest and dissent was not considered and he was no t allowed to make a note of dissent in the minutes book, etc.

( 3 ) FIRST respondent as the Secretary and Correspondent of the College issued a notice dated 16-8-1988 to the petitioner calling upon him to explain as to why disciplinary action may notbe initiated against him for filing false and motivated affidavit in I. A. No. 194 of 1988 in O. S. No. 23 of 1988 on the file of Vacation Civil judge (District Judge) Ongole. The petitioner was asked to submit his explanation within a week of the receipt of the said notice and further stating that if no explanation is received within the said period, further action would be initiated on the presumption tht the petitioner has no explanation to offer. Explanation dated 24-9-1988 was submitted by the petitioner. It was admitted therein that he filed the affidavit as it was necessitated in the prevailing circumstances and that whatever he stated therein is true and that he was acting throughout as member of the governing body representing the staff. He also stated that the suit is pending and therefore, first respondent has no right to determine the truth or otherwise of the affidavit filed by the petitioner and that it is the function of the Court to determine the same. Issuance of the notice constitutes nothing but gross interference with the due course of judicial proceedings and that it amounts to contempt of court. He also justified the f ilingof the third party affidavit. Thereafter, another notice was issued by the first respondent on 5-9-1988 to the petitioner calling upon him to submit his explanation as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for the intemperate and threatening language used in the explanation submitted by him dt. 24-8-1988 and also attributing motives to the resp




























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