Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday issued notice to Dipak Shah to show cause why action under the Contempt of Courts Act should not be taken against him for giving wrong information to the High Court.
Shah had allegedly submitted a bank guarantee to the Department of Public-Private Partnership to win the tender for Convention Centre at Dona Paula but it later found to be a fabricated and fraudulent.
Arguing on behalf of respondent Shah, Adv Shampa Nath submitted that since a period of one-year from the date on which contempt is alleged to have been committed had expired, this Court should not initiate any proceedings for contempt either on its own motion or otherwise. She referred to Section 20 of the Contempt of Courts Act and relied on Pallav Sheth v/s Custodian and others in support of her contention and prayed that the suo moto proceedings be terminated.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam submitted that it is a case of ‘criminal contempt’ as defined in Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, since the respondent had interfered or his actions had a tendency to interfere with or obstruct or tend to obstruct the administration of justice.
High Court Judge Justice Mahesh S Sonak said that the respondent’s act prima facie constitutes contempt which was first noticed by the Court on April 11, 2022 and that the one-year period was yet to end. The Court has made the notice returnable on April 3.
