Supreme Court of India · 2002-12-13
Bijay Kumar Mahanty vs Jadu @ Ram Chandra Sahoo
- Citation / case number
- AIR 2003 SUPREME COURT 657
- Court
- Supreme Court of India
- Petitioner
- Bijay Kumar Mahanty
- Respondent
- Jadu @ Ram Chandra Sahoo
- Author
- K.G. Balakrishnan
- Bench
- K.G. Balakrishnan
Judgment text excerpt
The Supreme Court held that the appellant, a police officer, was guilty of contempt under Section 19 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 for arresting the respondent despite being presented with a certified copy of the bail order. The Court emphasized the importance of upholding court orders to protect individual liberties and maintain public confidence in the judicial system. The appellant was sentenced to seven days of civil imprisonment, reinforcing the principle that disobedience of court orders undermines the rule of law and the administration of justice.