Third parties do not have a right to intervene in contempt proceedings.

NATARAJAN, J.

The Madras Bar Association represented by its Secretary, the Madras High Court Advocates Association represented by its Secretaries and the Tamil Nadu Judicial Officers Association represented by its General Secretary, seek intervention, by means of their respective applications mentioned above, in the proceedings in Contempt Application No. 24 of 1980 pending before this Bench. The prayer for intervention by the respective Associations, has been made in the following circumstances

Consequent upon the learned Advocate-General moving this Court for the respondents, viz., (1) R. M. Krishna Raju, c/o. The Editor, The Hindu, Madras, (2) G. K. Kasthuri, the Editor, The Hindu, Madras, and (3) S. Rangarajan, the Printer and Publisher of the Hindu, Madras, being punished for contempt of the High Court, under Sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, a notice was issued to the respondents and they have entered appearance and filed their counter-affidavits. For the 1st respondent, as many as 272 Advocates have signed the Vakalat filed on his behalf. It has since transpired that the 1st respondent, R. M. Krishna Raju is a legal practitioner and a member of the Madras High Court Advocates Association. On account of this factor, the Madras Bar Association (hereinafter referred to as the 'Bar Association') and the Madras High Court Advocates Association (hereinafter referred to as the 'Advocates Association') seek intervention in the proceedings. We may briefly refer to the grounds set out in the affidavits filed on behalf of the respective associations justifying the claim for intervention

2. In the affidavit filed in support of the petition filed on behalf of the Bar Association it is stated as follows

"The Bar Association desires to make submissions on the contempt application as the matter involves the maintenance of the high dignity and reputation of courts and judges and the scope of a fair comment of the members of the Bar and the public in general on the functioning of the judiciary and the role of the legal profession as also the scope of journalistic reproduction of comments and letters. It is a matter of public importance requiring clear and definite guidance for the future." *

The prayer made is that the Bar Association may be impleaded as a party-respondent pro forma or permitted to make representations on the points involved

3. In the affidavit filed on behalf of the Advocates Association, it is stated as follows :-

"......... The above application raises question of general importance of the rights of the Members of the Bar to hold a (meeting ?) to express their opinion, regarding the functioning of judiciary in a general way;" *

The Association has therefore prayed for its coming in as intervener

4. In the application made by the Tamil Nadu Judicial Officers Association (hereinafter referred to as the 'Officers Association'), it is stated as follows in the affidavit filed by the Association's joint secretary;

"I submit that certain portions of the said letter as alleged in the affidavit filed on behalf of the first respondent are intended to scandalise or lower the authority of the Courts amounting to criminal contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. I further submit that some of the portions are specifically directed against the subordinate judiciary and hence the executive committee of the Tamil Nadu Judicial Officers Association has resolved unanimously to intervene in the above matter and get itself impleaded as party respondent

3. I beg to state that in view of the facts mentioned above, the presence of the petitioner herein as party respondent before this Honourable Court is necessary for the proper, complete and effectual adjudication of the above Contempt Application. I submit that otherwise the Tamil Nadu Subordinate Judiciary against whom certain specific allegations have been made with ulterior object of undermining its authority will go unrepresented and may even lead to