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1965 Supreme(Mad) 48

Madras High Court
ANANTANARAYANAN,NATESAN
A.Ramnlingam - Appellant
Versus
V.V.Mahalinga Nadar - Respondent
Decided On : 02/15/1965

Advocates:
U. Radhakrishnan, for Applicant; S. Rajagopalan for Respondent.

Contempt jurisdiction should be reserved for cases that essentially bring the administration of justice into contempt or unduly weaken it, as distinguished from a wrong that might be inflicted on a private party by infringing a decretal order of Court.

Headnote:

CONTEMPT OF COURT - INJUNCTION - ORDER XXXIX, RULE 2(3) OF THE CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE - SUMMARY

Fact of the Case:

The petitioner alleged that the respondent had disobeyed a temporary prohibitory injunction decree by erecting certain buildings in infringement of it.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that it would not be expedient in the interests of justice to exercise its contempt jurisdiction in this case.

Issues: Whether the court should exercise its contempt jurisdiction in a case where a temporary prohibitory injunction decree has been disobeyed.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that Order XXXIX, Rule 2(3) of the Code of Civil Procedure provides a clear and adequate remedy for disobedience of an injunction decree, and that it is more appropriate for the court that granted the injunction to enforce it.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the petition for contempt of court.

ORDER : After having heard learned counsel, and very carefully considered the situation in which we are called upon to exercise our jurisdiction under S. 3 of the Contempt of Courts Act, XXXII of 1952, we are clearly and definitely of the view that, assuming the facts to be as stated by the petitioner, it would not be expedient in the interests of justice to exercise that jurisdiction here, for more than one reason. We are taking it that there is a temporary prohibitory injunction decree made by the appellate Court, which has been disobeyed by the respondent, in the sense that he has erected certain buildings in infringement of that prohibitory injunction. In such a case, it is obvious that Order XXXIX, Rule 2(3) of the Code of Civil Procedure provides a clear and adequate remedy, the party aggrieved may bring it to the notice of the Court granting the injunction, that its decree or order has not been respected, and that Court, after due enquiry, may exercise the punitive powers against the person in disobedience, under the terms of that rule.

2. Learned counsel for petitioner strenuously contends that the existence of any such alternative remedy to his client, will not take away the contempt jurisdiction of this Court. He has also relied upon a decision of a Bench of the Calcutta High Court in Lain Shy am Sundar v. Lala Baij Nath Prasad, 68 Cal WN 148 for the view that breach of an undertaking given to Court by any person in a proceeding, would be misconduct amounting to contempt. Learned counsel has further cited and relied upon the judgment of Panchapakesa Ayyar, J., in Chinnabba Chetty v. Chengalrova Chetty, 1949-2 Mad LJ 705 : (AIR 1950 Mad 237) for the view that Order XXI Rule 32(5) of the Civil Procedure Code was intended to cover only mandatory injunctions, and did not apply to prohibitory in functions at all.

3. We think it is sufficient to stress the following principles, which will be clearly relevant to a situation of the present kind Essentially, contempt of Court is a matter which concerns the administration of justice and the dignity and authority of judicial tribunals; a party can bring to the notice of Court, facts constituting what may appear to amount to contempt of Court, for such action as the Court deems it expedient to adopt. But, essentially, jurisdiction in contempt is not a right of a party, to be invoked for the redressal of his grievances; nor is it a mode by which the rights of a party, adjudicated upon by a tribunal, can be enforced against another party. The entire corpus of execution law exists for the enforcement of rights, by one party against another, which have been the subject matter of adjudication. In our view, there are sufficient grounds here to show that it will be inexpedient and undesirable to institute proceedings in contempt jurisdiction, in a situation of this kind. Firstly the facts themselves may be in controversy, whether a deliberate flouting of a judicial order or decree has occurred, and we state this, irrespective of the merits of the instant case. When they are in controversy, they cannot be ascertained without due enquiry. If the Court is to commence an action in contempt jurisdiction, only after ascertaining facts at such an enquiry, obviously it will be converting itself into an agency for arriving at findings of fact which may be a foundation for contempt jurisdiction. On the contrary, it would be in the interests of justice to exercise contempt jurisdiction, or to commence to do so, only when the facts on the record ex facie support such a proceeding; any detailed enquiry must be left to the Court which has passed the order and which is presumably fully acquainted with the subject-matter of its own decree of temporary prohibitory injunction. For this reason, we are of the view that Order XXXIX, Rule 2(3) of the Civil Procedure Code is a far more adequate and satisfactory remedy in such cases. Again, where the situation is strictly inter parties and third party rights a


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