Punishment for contempt of court
12.—(1)  Except as otherwise provided in any other written law, a person who commits contempt of court shall be liable to be punished —
(a)subject to paragraph (b), where the power to punish for contempt is exercised by the General Division of the High Court, by the Appellate Division of the High Court or by the Court of Appeal, with a fine not exceeding $100,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or with both;
(b)where the power to punish for contempt is exercised by the General Division of the High Court in relation to contempt in the face of or in connection with any proceedings in a State Court, Family Court or Youth Court (as the case may be), with a fine not exceeding $20,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or with both; or
(c)where the power to punish for contempt is exercised by any other court, with a fine not exceeding $20,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or with both.
[40/2019]
(2)  In addition to any punishment imposed under subsection (1), where a person has committed contempt in relation to the proceedings before a court, the court may refuse to hear the person until the contempt is purged or the person submits to the order or direction of the court or an apology is made to the satisfaction of the court.
(3)  In addition to any punishment imposed under subsection (1), the court may, on its own motion or on application by the applicant in the contempt proceedings, make an order that the person who has committed contempt must publish such notice, and in such manner, as the court thinks necessary to apologise for the contemptuous publication.
(4)  An order under subsection (3) may be made subject to such exceptions or conditions (including the duration for which the notification must be made accessible to members of the public) as may be specified in the order.
(5)  Despite subsection (1), the court may discharge the person who has committed contempt or remit the punishment or any part of it on his or her purging of the contempt, submission to the order or direction of the court or on apology being made to the satisfaction of the court.
(6)  To avoid doubt, the court may, if the interests of justice so require, find a person guilty of contempt of court and impose the punishment under this section even though the person is absent.