A. PASAYAT, C. J.

( 1 ) THESE four petitions have been filed alleging contempt on the part of opposite parties Nos. 2 to 11 in Original Criminal Misc. Case Nos. 273 of 1995, and 278 of 1995, 1 to 13 in Original Criminal Misc. Case No. 279 of 1995 and 4, 5 and 6 in Original Criminals Misc. Case No. 285 of 1995 in maliciously criticising an Honourable Judge of this Court in respect of a judicial order passed. As the controversy involved in these applications is similar, this judgment shall govern each one of them.

( 2 ) IN Original Criminal Misc. Case No. 273 of 1995 petitioner is an Advocate and has alleged that the contemners - opposite party Nos. 2, 3, 4 , 5, 6 and 7 have committed contempt in the manner described hereinafter. According to petitioners the said opposite parties are members/office bearers of certain organisations who held a Press Conference at Cuttack and made contemptuous statements against the Hon'ble Judge. The said statements were published in the Oriya daily 'the Samaj' in its first edition on 7-7-1995. Opposite party Nos. 10 and 11 were the Editor and the Publisher of the said news paper, who have since left this world and in any event before their death the