Withdrawal of the impugned notice satisfied the petitioner’s grievance, warranting disposal of contempt proceedings.

The petitioner filed a contempt petition alleging wilful disobedience of the order dated 27 March 2023 passed by the Principal District & Sessions Judge, North-West District, Rohini Courts, in Contempt Petition (Crl.) No. 01/2023, and the order dated 13 August 2024 passed by the Delhi High Court in CRL.M.C. 3429/2023.

The dispute concerned an Other Backward Class (“OBC”) certificate issued to the petitioner’s daughter, Ms. Devika Saini. An earlier complaint by Raj Babu Dvivedy and respondent no. 2, Vanshraj, had been examined, and the certificate was found to be genuine.

The petitioner subsequently received a notice dated 18 June 2026 from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Patel Nagar, GNCTD, pursuant to a fresh complaint/representation by Vanshraj concerning the same certificate.

During the proceedings, the respondents placed on record a Status Report dated 16 September 2026 and submitted that the impugned notice had been withdrawn by order dated 15 September 2026.

The petitioner thereafter stated that his grievance stood satisfied.

Whether the respondents had wilfully disobeyed the orders dated 27 March 2023 and 13 August 2024 in relation to the petitioner’s daughter’s OBC certificate?

Whether the issuance of the notice dated 18 June 2026, pursuant to a fresh complaint regarding the same OBC certificate, warranted further contempt proceedings or relief?

The Court applied the principle that contempt jurisdiction is attracted only where there is clear and wilful disobedience of a binding judicial order; mere conduct that is subsequently corrected or withdrawn does not, by itself, justify continuation of contempt proceedings.

The Court also considered the effect of the earlier judicial proceedings and the finding that the OBC certificate was genuine.

Since the challenged notice had been withdrawn and the petitioner expressly accepted that his grievance had been satisfied, no further contempt relief was required.

The earlier proceedings had recorded that the OBC certificate issued to Ms. Devika Saini was genuine, and the petitioner relied on those proceedings to contend that the subsequent notice concerning the same certificate violated the prior orders.

However, before the Court could grant further relief, the respondents produced the Status Report and demonstrated that the SDM’s notice dated 18 June 2026 had already been withdrawn by order dated 15 September 2026.

As the impugned action no longer subsisted and the petitioner acknowledged that his grievance had been satisfied, the Court found no continuing basis for contempt proceedings.

Accordingly, the contempt petition was disposed of, without any further direction or relief.