The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court disposed of a contempt petition for disobeying an interim order in establishment of electricity poles. The Court observed the petitioners failed to communicate the order before erection and dismissed the petition.
Liberty granted to the petitioner to work out rights in pending writ proceedings; contempt petition closed.
This page shows the compact analysis of this judgement. The full analysis — procedural history, issue-by-issue holdings with ratio and obiter, advocates, and paragraph-level evidence for every claim — is being added to the record in batches and will appear here when this judgement has been through it.
1 CONT.P.(MD)NO.1452 OF 2022
BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT
DATED : 24.03.2026
CORAM
THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE G.R.SWAMINATHAN CONT.P.(MD)No.1452 of 2022 in W.M.P.(MD)No.10831 of 2022 in W.P.(MD)No.12972 of 2022
T.Karuppiah ... Contempt Petitioner / Petitioner
Vs.
Mr.L.Rajkumar, Assistant Engineer, Distribution / TANGEDCO, Karungalakudi, Madurai District. ... Contemnor / 5th Respondent
Prayer: Contempt petition filed under Section 11 of the Contempt of Courts Act, to punish the contemnor / respondent for their deliberate and willful disobeying the order of this Court made in W.M.P.(MD)No.10831 of 2022 in W.P.(MD)No.12972 of 2022 dated 15.07.2022.
For Petitioner : Mr.K.Muraleedharan
For Respondent : Mr.S.Dheenadayalan, Standing counsel.
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2 CONT.P.(MD)NO.1452 OF 2022
O R D E R
Heard both sides.
2. I had granted interim order in favour of the petitioner on
15.07.2022 in W.P.(MD)No.12972 of 2022. Unfortunately on the very same day, poles had been erected. Only an intimation about the grant of interim order was communicated to the Assistant Engineer, Karungalakudi through Registered Post. On the day by the time the information reached the authority, the poles have already been erected.
3. It is well settled that contempt can be said to have been committed, only if with the knowledge of the injunction order, breach had been committed. If without the knowledge of the grant of interim order, some act had been committed by the authorities, that would not amount to contempt. Granting liberty to the petitioner to work out his rights in the pending writ proceedings, this contempt petition is closed.
24.03.2026
NCC : Yes / No Index : Yes / No Internet : Yes/ No PMU
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3 CONT.P.(MD)NO.1452 OF 2022
G.R.SWAMINATHAN,J.
PMU
CONT.P.(MD)No.1452 of 2022 in W.M.P.(MD)No.10831 of 2022 in W.P.(MD)No.12972 of 2022
24.03.2026
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2 issues framed by the court
Whether erection of poles violated the interim injunction granted on 15.07.2022 given lack of formal notice to the authority.
Whether the contemnor had knowledge of the interim order at the time of the alleged breach.
1 provisions across 1 enactments
T.Karuppiah
Mr.L.Rajkumar
G.R.Swaminathan
As recorded by the court registry
Judgements on the same questions, provisions and authorities, from every court
