The Supreme Court has ruled that even individuals or authorities who were not parties to a case can be held guilty of contempt if they knowingly assist or facilitate the violation of a court order. The bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R. Mahadevan made the observation while hearing contempt petitions related to non-compliance of its May 20, 2025 judgment concerning officials of the Chhattisgarh Government.

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• Supreme Court held non-parties can be liable for contempt if they knowingly aid disobedience of court orders.
• Bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R. Mahadevan delivered the ruling.
• Contempt jurisdiction extends beyond named parties to any authority obstructing implementation.
• Third parties liable if they knowingly assist or enable non-compliance.
• Knowledge of court order and deliberate inaction can amount to contempt.
• Liability arises from conduct undermining judicial authority, not party status.
• Court relied on precedent in Sita Ram v. Balbir (2017) to clarify position.
• Authorities aware of order are duty-bound to ensure timely compliance.
• Officials cannot escape responsibility claiming they were not original parties.
• Administrative difficulty not valid defence in contempt proceedings.
• Remedy against impractical order lies in clarification, modification, or appeal.
• Contempt court only examines compliance, not correctness of original judgment.
• Case involved alleged non-compliance of May 20, 2025 order against Chhattisgarh officials.
• Authorities failed to create supernumerary post of Godown Keeper within deadline.
• Court found prima facie contempt case, granted final opportunity before framing charges.