The Indore Bench of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday directed the Director of Medical Education to return original documents to a petitioner, warning that failure to comply could invite contempt proceedings.
Hearing a contempt petition filed by Dr. Ajay Mandloi, the court made it clear that technicalities cannot be used to harass a litigant when the documents are admittedly in the State’s possession.
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Background of the Case
The matter arose after an earlier order dated February 19, 2026, in which the High Court had directed the respondents to return the petitioner’s original documents. According to the petitioner, despite that direction, the documents were not returned.
Senior counsel appearing for Dr. Mandloi argued that the court’s order had been “deliberately flouted,” forcing the petitioner to approach the court again through a contempt petition.
However, during the hearing, the court examined the earlier order and noted that it had specifically directed Respondent No. 3 to return the original documents.
Court’s Observation
Justice Jai Kumar Pillai observed that although the earlier order mentioned Respondent No. 3, the documents were actually in the custody of Respondent No. 2 - the Director of Medical Education.
“The original documents are in possession with the respondent No. 2 i.e. Director, Medical Education,” the bench noted in open court.
The judge further remarked that once the authority was aware that the documents were with him, “due to simple technicalities, the petitioner could not have been harassed and put to hardship by filing the present contempt petition.”
The court underlined that procedural confusion cannot become a ground to deny relief, especially when compliance is straightforward and within the control of the department concerned.
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Direction of the Court
Taking a firm view, the High Court directed Respondent No. 2 - the Director of Medical Education - to return the original documents to the petitioner on or before March 2, 2026.
The order made it clear that this direction was being issued “to avoid any further contempt proceedings to be initiated by this Court.”
The matter has been listed for the week commencing March 9, 2026, to ensure compliance.
The order was passed in Contempt Case No. 1497 of 2026 (Dr. Ajay Mandloi vs Dr. Aruna Kumar) on February 27, 2026 .
Case Title: Dr. Ajay Mandloi vs Dr. Aruna Kumar
Case No.: CONC No. 1497 of 2026
Decision Date: 27 February 2026
