A bench of Justices Deepak Verma and K S Radhakrishnan also sought a response of the Union government, the chief secretary and home secretary of West Bengal on the petition of O P Bhandari, a social activist, to know what steps are being taken to prevent recurrence of such blockades.

The contempt notices were issued to Bimal Gurung, President of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, its assistant secretary Bimoy Tamang, besides Mukunda Mazumdar, chief of the of the anti-Gorkhaland organisation “Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Bachao Samiti”.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel P H Parekh submitted that the two organisations were frequently putting up blockades on National Highway 31A despite the apex court’s two separate orders restraining them from indulging in such activities.

Parekh told the court that pro-Gorkhaland agitiators have planned a 10-day siege of the highway from June 12 which he said would cause serious hardship to the general public as it was the lifeline for landlocked Sikkim.

According to the counsel, in the past two months alone, about seven such blockades were put up on the highway despite the fact that on January 25 this year, the apex court had warned that it would direct “de-recognition” of political parties engaged in such acts and arrest of their leaders.

“If anybody causes obstruction on the national highway, the party indulging in it would be de-recognised and their leaders will be arrested,” the apex court had said while citing its July 3, 2008, order to keep the highway free from their agitation.

The apex court had noted that the highway not only connects Sikkim to the rest of the country but also passes through several districts and hilly places like Siliguri, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar in West Bengal to ensure supply of essential goods to the hilly region.