SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

Bhuwan Pant

Vs.

Vikram Chandra

S.L.P. (C) No. 14149-14150 of 2004

(P. Venkatarama Reddi and B. P. Singh JJ.)

02.08.2004

ORDER

1. We are not inclined to grant leave against the order of the High Court discharging the notice issued under the Contempt of Courts Act against the respondents on the ground that the inference of willful disobedience of the order cannot be drawn in the circumstances of the case. The observations made by the High Court on the merits of the contention, namely that weightage was not given in terms of the final judgment of the High Court, was only in the limited context of consideration of the contempt petition. It is always open to the petitioners to question the action of the respondents in not selecting the petitioners by way of separate proceedings and in such an event, the matter will have to be decided without being influenced by the observations made in the impugned order passed by the High Court.

2. The special leave petitions are dismissed with the above observation.