Universal Gas Company Raj Bhawan and Another v. Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma Principal Secretary and 5 Others
CONTEMPT PROCEEDINGS – COMPLIANCE OF WRIT COURT ORDER – PRINCIPAL-AMOUNT DISPUTE EXCLUDED FROM CONTEMPT SCOPE
Case brief
What is this about?
Allahabad High Court (Court No. 1), Contempt Application (Civil) No. 1392 of 2025, decided 29.4.2025 by Hon'ble Salil Kumar Rai. Applicant: Universal Gas Company Raj Bhawan (counsel Ashish Kumar Singh, Mohammad Aon); opposite parties led by Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma, Principal Secretary, and 5 Others. Concerns compliance with the writ-court order dated 19.7.2024 requiring payment (asserted as Rs.1,12,47,976.39 with 5% interest for delay) for oxygen supplied at Central Government-fixed rates; affidavits admitted Rs.26,26,526/- due. Court ruled the principal-rate dispute is not decidable under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 (no supply-rate contract on record; applicant to seek other remedies) but upheld liability to pay 5% interest for payment beyond the prescribed period; affidavits deemed non-compliant; two weeks' grace until listing on 13.5.2025, with framing of contempt charges threatened absent compliance or personal appearance of opposite party no.2.