Damodar Mahadeo Patil vs Motiram Mahadeo Patil And Anr. on 3 October, 2002
In State of Kerala v. M.S. Mani, (supra) the State had filed the petition complaining that the dignity and authority of the Supreme Court were undermined by the opponents by publishing a three column news on the front page of the newspaper "The Kerala Kaumudi" on 5-5-1999. The respondents had raised preliminary objection regarding absence of the consent of Attorney General under section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act. In relation to the said objection, it was ruled that the written consent of Advocate General to the motion for criminal contempt is mandatory and obtaining consent subsequent to notice cannot cure the initial defect. Once it is clear that the present proceedings are not for criminal contempt but for civil contempt, the question of obtaining written consent of Advocate General for initiation of such proceedings does not arise at all and, therefore, the decision of the Apex Court in the matter of State of Kerala is of no assistance in the matter in hand.