In Brief
Oil company appellants challenged a High Court contempt order that found their petroleum distribution guidelines violated an earlier 2012 judgment. The Supreme Court held that once guidelines were framed as directed by the original judgment, the interim status quo order expired and the new guidelines governed the sector. The Court ruled that contempt jurisdiction cannot expand the scope of the original judgment; its role is limited to checking willful disobedience. If parties dispute the guidelines' substance, they must pursue appropriate remedies, not contempt proceedings. The Court set aside the contempt order and allowed the appeal.
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