BATHINA RAMAKRISHNA REDDY vs THE STATE OF MADRAS.

The Supreme Court held that Section 2(3) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1926, does not oust the High Court's jurisdiction to take cognizance of contempt related to subordinate courts when the acts are not punishable as contempt under the IPC. The Court clarified that defamatory statements about a judge do not automatically constitute contempt unless they obstruct the administration of justice. The appeal against the High Court's finding of contempt was upheld, and the earlier case of Kisan Krishna Ji v. Nagpur Conference was disapproved.