1. “Court”
2. Nature and Scope
(a) Broadly
Role of party other than court and contemnor
(b) Freedom of speech/expression and contempt of court
(c) Power of superior court to punish for contempt of inferior/subordinate court
(d) Contempt by court, judge, magistrate or other person acting judicially
(e) Contempt by Advocates
(f) Contempt by court/registry officers or staff
3. Criminal Contempt 21
General principles
(1) Broadly
(2) Prejudice to or interference with judicial proceeding
(3) Scandalise or lower authority of court
(i) Generally
(ii) Physical assault of Judges
(iii) Other instances
(4) Interfere or obstruct administration of justice “in any other manner”
(i) General Principles
(ii) Instances
4. Civil Contempt
(a) General principles
(1) Broadly
(2) Orders of which contempt possible/punishable
(3) Matters at large/Review etc. of earlier order/Orders that may be passed
(4) Wilful disobedience/contumacious conduct
(5) Breach of undertaking
(6) Interpretation/doubt as to order
(7) Feasibility, etc. of implementation of order
(8) Burden of proof
(b) Instances of civil contempt
Disobedience of interim/interlocutory orders
5. Maintainability
(a) Generally
(b) Cognizance
6. Practice and Procedure
(a) Generally
(b) Contempt in face of the court
(c) Specific matters
7. Exercise of Contempt Jurisdiction
(a) Generally
(b) Suomotu initiation of contempt proceedings
8. Defences
(a) Apology
(b) Justification and Truth
(c) Fair criticism or comment
(d) Proceedings not pending or ignorance of pend ency of proceedings
9. Punishment for Contempt
(a) Abuse of process
(b) Criminal contempt
(c) Civil contempt
(d) Costs as punishment
(e) Sentencing
(f) Other instances of punishment
10. Particular Statutes and Rules
(a) Contempt of Courts Act, 1971
(b) Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of Court under Calcutta High Court Contempt of Court Rules, 1975
(c) Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of the Supreme Court, 1975