Gujarat High Court Dismisses GOCA’s Contempt Plea Against AMNSIL, Imposes Exemplary Costs

Gujarat High Court Dismisses GOCA’s Contempt Plea Against AMNSIL, Imposes Exemplary Costs

The Gujarat High Court has dismissed a contempt application filed by the Gujarat Operational Creditors Association (GOCA) against Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India Limited (AMNSIL) and its office bearers, terming it as ill-conceived, frivolous, and filed with ill motive. The Court further imposed exemplary costs of ₹2,00,000 on GOCA, directing payment within two weeks.

In its strongly worded order, the High Court deprecated and strongly condemned the conduct of GOCA’s advocate, particularly criticizing the reliance on unauthorized transcripts of court proceedings. The Court found this reliance to be in breach of the Gujarat High Court (Live Streaming of Court Proceedings) Rules, 2021, deeming it contumacious.

Additionally, the High Court took serious exception to allegations made in the contempt application, including aspersions cast on the Judges of the Court and legal representatives of AMNSIL. In light of these concerns, the Court has initiated a suo motu contempt petition under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, against the signatory of GOCA and its advocate.

The Court has issued notices to the two individuals and scheduled the suo motu contempt petition for hearing on February 20, 2025.