criminal contempt Criminal contempt means the publications (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representation, or otherwise) of any matter of the doing of any act whatsoever which : (i) scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of any court; or (ii) prejudices or interferes or interfere with the due course of any judicial proceeding; or (iii) interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of justice in any other manner.