In Brief
K.K. Gupta challenged a High Court order that used contempt jurisdiction to direct implementation of petroleum distribution guidelines. The Supreme Court held that contempt proceedings can only address willful disobedience of specific directions, not expand a judgment's scope beyond its original terms. The original judgment only required maintaining status quo until guidelines were framed; once framed, the interim order expired. The Court ruled that parties aggrieved by the new guidelines must pursue separate remedies, not contempt proceedings. The High Court's order was set aside and the appeal allowed, reaffirming the limited scope of contempt jurisdiction.
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