A brawl in a Kolkata market nearly a decade ago has now ended with a sharp reminder from the Delhi High Court: attack officers of the court, and even a day behind bars will sting.
Twelve shopkeepers and their staff have been ordered to spend one day in jail and pay ₹2,000 each after they violently obstructed advocate commissioners sent to probe counterfeit Samsung mobiles. The court noted that even with police protection, the commissioners were surrounded by nearly 200 people, beaten, and left with serious injuries.
A Bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar made it clear that such interference is no ordinary disruption—it strikes at the heart of justice itself. “If those who obstruct are not dealt with firmly, the majesty of law will wither in the eyes of citizens,” the judges cautioned.
The contempt case, initiated back in 2015, arose from a trademark infringement suit by Samsung Electronics. While many in the mob may have been misguided bystanders, the court concluded that twelve men were directly guilty of assault and obstruction.
The ruling underscores the judiciary’s insistence that attacks on its officers will not be brushed aside, no matter how small the punishment may appear on paper—the symbolism is the point.
