PTI
Kolkata, Jul 28: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday issued contempt notice against Guinness World Records Ltd for failing to properly incorporate the name of Salloo Chowdhury, the first and fastest circumnavigator of the world in a car.
Issuing the notice, Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta held that the court was of the prima facie view that the respondents, including Guinness World Records violated the orders of the court by not mentioning the name of Chowdhury in its book on world records properly since 2002 despite specific decree to that effect from the court.
Guinness chairman, the record keeper and the printer and publisher were among those against whom the rule was issued and would be required to be present before the court personally.
They would be required to show cause why they should not be proceeded against for contempt of court.
Chowdhury, who was the first and the fastest to circumnavigate the world in a car, had sued Guinness in 1993 for not mentioning the word 'first' while narrating his record.
The matter was settled between Guinness and Chowdhury and the settlement was ratified before the court of Justice Amitava Lala.
Chowdhury had covered six continents in 69 days in 1989 driving a Hindustan Motors-made Contessa car. However, some of the clauses of the settlement were allegedly violated and Chowdhury again sued Guinness for not organising a race and for not instituting a trophy in his name.
The suit claiming Rs 166 crore in damages is pending before the Calcutta High Court.
Chowdhury's counsel Jayanta Mitra said that in 2002, Guiness allegedly stopped printing the word 'first' again and in the next year's edition, only Mohammed and Nina Chowdhury was used instead Chowdhury's full name Mohammed Salauddin Chowdhury, who is better known as Salloo.
In March 2005, Chowdhury filed a contempt petition before the court of Justice Sengupta.
This was challenged by Guinness claiming that contempt rule should not be issued.
After hearing both the parties, Justice Sengupta on Thursday passed the contempt notice.