law: Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 
  3. Innocent publication and distribution of matter not
  
  contempt 
  (1) A person shall not be guilty of contempt of court on the
  
  ground that he has published (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs,
  
  or by visible representations, or otherwise) any matter which interferes or
  
  tends to interfere with, or obstructs, or tends to obstruct, the course of
  
  justice in connection with any civil or criminal proceeding pending at that
  
  time of publication, if at that time he had no reasonable grounds for believing
  
  that the proceeding was pending.
  (2) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this
  
  Act or any other law for the time being in force, the publication of any such
  
  matter as is mentioned in sub-section (1) in connection with any civil or
  
  criminal proceeding which is not pending at the time of publication shall not
  
  be deemed to constitute contempt of court.
  (3) A person shall not be guilty of contempt of court on the
  
  ground that he has distributed a publication containing any such matter as is
  
  mentioned in sub-section (1), if at the time of distribution he had no
  
  reasonable grounds for believing that it contained or was likely to contain any
  
  such matter as aforesaid :
  PROVIDED  that this sub-section shall not apply in
  
  respect of the distribution of- 
  (i) any publication which is a book or paper
  
  printed or published otherwise than in conformity with the rules contained in
  
  section 3 of the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, (25 of 1867);
  (ii) any publication which is a newspaper
  
  published otherwise than in conformity with the rules contained in section 5 of
  
  the said Act.
  Explanation:  For the purposes of this section, a judicial
  
  proceeding- 
  (a) is said to be pending- 
  (A) in the case of a civil proceeding, when it
  
  is instituted by the filing of a plaint or otherwise,
  (B) in the case of a criminal proceeding under
  
  the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (5 of 1898)1, or any other law-
  
  
  (i) where it relates to the commission of an
  
  offence, when the charge sheet or challan is filed, or when the court issues
  
  summons or warrant, as the case may be, against the accused, and
  (ii) in any other case, when the court takes
  
  cognizance of the matter to which the proceeding relates, and in the case of a
  
  civil or criminal proceeding, shall be deemed to continue to be pending until
  
  it is heard and finally decided, that is to say, in a case where an appeal or
  
  revision is competent, until the appeal or revision is heard and finally
  
  decided or, where no appeal or revision is preferred, until the period of
  
  limitation prescribed for such appeal or revision has expired.
  (b) which has been heard and finally decided shall not be deemed
  
  to be pending merely by reason of the fact that proceedings for the execution of
  
  the decree, order or sentence passed therein are pending.