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Anil Kumar Gami Sole Proprietor M/S Chem Ace Marketing vs. Shri N. Sarvana Kumar The Vice Chairman Delhi Development Authority & Ors.

Contempt Case (Civil) · 2026:DHC:8136Decided 18 Sept 2026New Delhi Bench
CONT.CAS(C) 63/2026CNR: DLHC010007082026
Justice Mini Pushkarna

Background

The petitioner had been allotted a warehousing plot by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) years earlier, and after prolonged litigation, the Court had directed the DDA to execute a lease deed in his favour. When the DDA later demanded payment of about Rs. 3.59 lakh in outstanding ground rent, interest and GST dues before executing the lease, the petitioner filed a contempt petition alleging wilful disobedience of the earlier court order.

Decision Breakdown

The Court found that the DDA had, in fact, complied with its earlier directions: it examined the matter, handed over physical possession of the plot in March 2026, and was actively processing the lease deed, only for it to demand outstanding dues before final execution. Since the Court's earlier order never adjudicated on the merits of what amounts, if any, the petitioner actually owed, it held there was no wilful contempt and closed the petition, leaving the petitioner free to separately dispute the DDA's demand through proper legal channels.

Lesson Learnt

A contempt petition is not the right tool to dispute the correctness of a fresh demand raised by an authority while complying with a court order: contempt requires proof of deliberate disobedience of what the order actually said, not disagreement with a new decision taken afterward.

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