The Meghalaya High Court has registered a case against an autonomous tribal council chief executive member and editors of two local dailies on charges of making and publishing derogatory statements against the court, and issued notices asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.
"It appears that Mr Adelbert Nongrum, Chief Executive Member of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, has given a statement that dared the Meghalaya High Court to hold any contempt and punish him for the same," a single bench of Justice S R Sen said yesterday.
Justice Sen directed the Registrar General to issue a show-cause notice to Nongrum as to why contempt proceeding should not be initiated for such "derogatory, defaming and contemptuous statements". Similar notices were issued to the editors of two local dailies for carrying reports on it.
The HC directed Deputy Commissioner to serve the order to Nongrum and editors of the two dailies.
Nongrum had recently made some comments about the judge which appeared in some dailies.
Consequently, the judge issued a directive to the Registrar General to file a case under Article 215, 266 of the Constitution and the Contempt of Court Act, 1971.
The respondents in the case were directed to be present personally and respond to their respective show-cause notices on or before January 27 without fail.
