1. - The appellants: (1) S.P. Wahi, Chairman, Oil and Natural Gas Commission, Deharadun and (2) R. Srinivasan, Member Personnel. Oil and Natural Gas Commission, have filed this appeal under Section 19(1)(a) of the Contempt of Courts Act (No. IXX of 1971) (which will hereinafter for the sake of brevity be referred to as 'the Act'), questioning the correctness of the order dated December 3, 1982, passed by the learned single Judge of this Court in S.D. Civil Con-tempt Petition No.75 of 1982, by which, the appellants were directed to attend the Court on the next date i.e. January 3, 1983.

2. The respondent (who was petitioner in the writ petition) filed a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution on September, 16, 1980, seeking, inter alia, to quash the seniority list Ex.2 dated September 3, 1979. Along with the writ petition, a stay petition was submitted praying that Oil and Natural Gas Commission, Deharadun (for short 'the Commission') may be restrained from promoting non-petitioners No.2 to 10 in the writ peti-tion to the post of Geophysicist (Instrumentation) Executive Engineer (Electronics) without first considering the petitioner (respondent) for promotion pen