In a bizarre and shocking incident, the Gujarat High Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 1 lakh on a man who joined a virtual court hearing from a toilet seat and was seen relieving himself on a live video feed.
The incident, which has since gone viral on social media, took place on June 20 during virtual proceedings before Justice Nirzar S Desai. The individual, identified as Samad Abdul Rehman Shah, had logged into the hearing under the name “Samad Battery” and initially appeared in close-up, wearing a Bluetooth headset. Moments later, he placed his phone at a distance, revealing that he was seated on a toilet and was engaged in personal hygiene during the court session.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the act, a Division Bench of Justices AS Supehia and RT Vachhani, during a hearing on Monday, came down heavily on Shah, describing his conduct as “contumacious” and “unacceptable in any civilized judicial process.”
“The contemnor has admitted to his conduct during live-streamed proceedings. At this stage, we direct the contemnor to deposit ₹1 lakh with the court registry before the next hearing,” the Bench stated, warning that imprisonment was also under consideration.
The Court also expressed displeasure with the Registrar (Information & Technology) of the High Court for failing to suggest measures to prevent such incidents in the future. No reply had been filed despite previous directions, prompting the Court to seek further assistance from the Registrar on the matter.
The case has now been listed for further hearing on July 22.
According to records, Shah was appearing as the respondent in a criminal case where he had originally filed the FIR. The matter had reached a settlement between the parties and the FIR was subsequently quashed by the Court.
The episode has raised serious concerns over courtroom decorum in the digital age and the challenges of maintaining dignity during virtual hearings.
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