THE CONTEMPT OF COURTS ACT, 1971
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ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
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SECTIONS
1. Short title and extent.
2. Definitions.
3. Innocent publication and distribution of matter not contempt.
4. Fair and accurate report of judicial proceeding not contempt.
5. Fair criticism of judicial act not contempt.
6. Complaint against presiding officers of subordinate courts when not contempt.
7. Publication of information relating to proceedings in chambers or in camera not contempt except
in certain cases.
8. Other defences not affected.
9. Act not to imply enlargement of scope of contempt.
10. Power of High Court to punish contempts of subordinate courts.
11. Power of High Court to try offences committed or offenders found outside jurisdiction.
12. Punishment for contempt of court.
13. Contempts not punishable in certain cases.
14. Procedure where contempt is in the face of the Supreme Court or a High Court.
15. Cognizance of criminal contempt in other cases.
16. Contempt by judge, magistrate or other person acting judicially.
17. Procedure after cognizance.
18. Hearing of cases of criminal contempt to be by Benches.
19. Appeals.
20. Limitation for actions for contempt.
21. Act not to apply to Nyaya Panchayats or other village courts.
22. Act to be in addition to, and not in derogation of, other laws relating to contempt.
23. Power of Supreme Court and High Courts to make rules.
24. Repeal.
1
, THE CONTEMPT OF COURTS ACT, 1971
ACT NO. 70 OF 1971
[24th December, 1971.]
An Act to define and limit the powers of certain courts in punishing contempts of courts and to
regulate their procedure in relation thereto.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Twenty-second Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
1. Short title and extent.—(1) This Act may be called the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
(2) It extends to the whole of India:
1
* * * * *
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “contempt of court” means civil contempt or criminal contempt;
(b) “civil contempt” means wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or
other process of a court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court;
(c) “criminal contempt” means the publication (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs,
or by visible representations, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever
which—
(i) scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any
court; or
(ii) prejudices, or interferes or tends to interfere with, the due course of any judicial
proceeding; or
(iii) interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of
justice in any other manner;
(d) “High Court” means the High Court for a State or a Union territory, and includes the court of
the Judicial Commissioner in any Union territory.
3. Innocent publication and distribution of matter not contempt.—(1) A person shall not be guilty
of contempt of court on the ground that he has published (whether by words, spoken or written, or by
signs, or by visible representations, or otherwise) any matter which interferes or tends to interfere with, or
obstructs or tends to obstruct, the course of justice in connection with any civil or criminal proceeding
pending at that time of publication, if at that time he had no reasonable grounds for believing that the
proceeding was pending.
(2) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Act or any other law for the time being
in force, the publication of any such matter as is mentioned in sub-section (1) in connection with any civil
or criminal proceeding which is not pending at the time of publication shall not be deemed to constitute
contempt of court.
(3) A person shall not be guilty of contempt of court on the ground that he has distributed a
publication containing any such matter as is mentioned in sub-section (1), if at the time of distribution he
had no reasonable grounds for believing that it contained or was likely to contain any such matter as
aforesaid:
Provided that this sub-section shall not apply in respect of the distribution of—
(i) any publication which is a book or paper printed or published otherwise than in conformity
with the rules contained in section 3 of the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 (25 of 1867);
1. The Proviso omitted by Act 34 of 2019, s. 95 and the Fifth Schedule (w.e.f. 31-10- 2019).
2
__________
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
__________
SECTIONS
1. Short title and extent.
2. Definitions.
3. Innocent publication and distribution of matter not contempt.
4. Fair and accurate report of judicial proceeding not contempt.
5. Fair criticism of judicial act not contempt.
6. Complaint against presiding officers of subordinate courts when not contempt.
7. Publication of information relating to proceedings in chambers or in camera not contempt except
in certain cases.
8. Other defences not affected.
9. Act not to imply enlargement of scope of contempt.
10. Power of High Court to punish contempts of subordinate courts.
11. Power of High Court to try offences committed or offenders found outside jurisdiction.
12. Punishment for contempt of court.
13. Contempts not punishable in certain cases.
14. Procedure where contempt is in the face of the Supreme Court or a High Court.
15. Cognizance of criminal contempt in other cases.
16. Contempt by judge, magistrate or other person acting judicially.
17. Procedure after cognizance.
18. Hearing of cases of criminal contempt to be by Benches.
19. Appeals.
20. Limitation for actions for contempt.
21. Act not to apply to Nyaya Panchayats or other village courts.
22. Act to be in addition to, and not in derogation of, other laws relating to contempt.
23. Power of Supreme Court and High Courts to make rules.
24. Repeal.
1
, THE CONTEMPT OF COURTS ACT, 1971
ACT NO. 70 OF 1971
[24th December, 1971.]
An Act to define and limit the powers of certain courts in punishing contempts of courts and to
regulate their procedure in relation thereto.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Twenty-second Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
1. Short title and extent.—(1) This Act may be called the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
(2) It extends to the whole of India:
1
* * * * *
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “contempt of court” means civil contempt or criminal contempt;
(b) “civil contempt” means wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or
other process of a court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court;
(c) “criminal contempt” means the publication (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs,
or by visible representations, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever
which—
(i) scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any
court; or
(ii) prejudices, or interferes or tends to interfere with, the due course of any judicial
proceeding; or
(iii) interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of
justice in any other manner;
(d) “High Court” means the High Court for a State or a Union territory, and includes the court of
the Judicial Commissioner in any Union territory.
3. Innocent publication and distribution of matter not contempt.—(1) A person shall not be guilty
of contempt of court on the ground that he has published (whether by words, spoken or written, or by
signs, or by visible representations, or otherwise) any matter which interferes or tends to interfere with, or
obstructs or tends to obstruct, the course of justice in connection with any civil or criminal proceeding
pending at that time of publication, if at that time he had no reasonable grounds for believing that the
proceeding was pending.
(2) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Act or any other law for the time being
in force, the publication of any such matter as is mentioned in sub-section (1) in connection with any civil
or criminal proceeding which is not pending at the time of publication shall not be deemed to constitute
contempt of court.
(3) A person shall not be guilty of contempt of court on the ground that he has distributed a
publication containing any such matter as is mentioned in sub-section (1), if at the time of distribution he
had no reasonable grounds for believing that it contained or was likely to contain any such matter as
aforesaid:
Provided that this sub-section shall not apply in respect of the distribution of—
(i) any publication which is a book or paper printed or published otherwise than in conformity
with the rules contained in section 3 of the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 (25 of 1867);
1. The Proviso omitted by Act 34 of 2019, s. 95 and the Fifth Schedule (w.e.f. 31-10- 2019).
2
