[Criminal Appeal No. 2099 of 2011]. This Appeal lays siege to the decision of the Division Bench of the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam, which found the Petitioner guilty of having committed criminal contempt punishable under Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, and sentenced him to simple imprisonment for six months and to pay a fine of Rs.2000/-. The facts leading to these events is that another Division Bench of the High Court of Kerala had, by Orders dated 23.6.2010, banned the holding of meetings on public roads and road margins in the State with the object of ensuring accident-free and uninterrupted traffic along such public roads. Although not relevant for the present purposes, these Orders were confirmed subsequently; a Review Petition was dismissed and the Special Leave Petition was also rejected by this Court. Meanwhile, on 26.6.2010, the Appellant delivered a speech in a public meeting at Kannur, Kerala allegedly convened in connection with a hartal organised to protest against the hike in petroleum prices, which was widely reported by the media. A translation of the speech as appearing in local City News reads as follows:
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