Order pronounced in contempt petition filed on charge of wilful disobedience of order

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has issued a notice to the defendants, finding a prima facie case in a contempt petition alleging willful disobedience of an order. A single bench of Justice Piyush Agrawal issued this order on the contempt petition filed by Surendra Singh and four others. The petitioner’s lawyer, Shiva Kant Mishra, stated that a special leave petition was filed in the Supreme Court against the High Court order. The Supreme Court, in its order dated February 23, 2025, disposed of the petition, granting officials six months to reach a final decision and extending the deadline for determining the compensation amount. Despite this, the defendants failed to comply with the order. This constitutes deliberate and calculated disobedience, punishable under Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. After reviewing the records, the court stated that a prima facie case of willful disobedience of the court order was made out against the defendants. The court issued notices to the defendants, Dr. Balkar Singh, Secretary of Housing and Town Planning, Uttar Pradesh, Avnish Kumar Singh, Additional District Magistrate, Land Acquisition, Ghaziabad, and Nand Kishore Kalaal, Vice President, Ghaziabad Development Authority. The next hearing will be held on November 23, 2026, and the defendants have been directed to appear in court. The court directed the defendants to file an affidavit explaining why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for willful disobedience of the order.