Gujarat High Court Virtual Proceeding Video: A bizarre scene unfolded during a virtual hearing of the Gujarat High Court when a man appeared on camera sitting on a toilet seat. The video of the incident has since gone viral on social media. The incident took place on June 20 during a video conferencing session presided over by Justice Nirzar S Desai. According to the reports, the man, identified as “Samad Battery” on Zoom, was seen in a one-minute video sitting on a toilet seat with a Bluetooth earphone around his neck. He briefly moved his phone, revealing his surroundings. The clip also showed him washing himself before leaving the bathroom. He later returned to the hearing from another room.
According to the media reports, the court was hearing a matter related to a cheque bounce case. The man was reportedly the complainant in that case and was also appearing as a respondent in a plea to quash a first information report. Both parties reportedly informed the court that they had resolved the matter amicably. As a result, the FIR was quashed.
This is not the first time inappropriate conduct has occurred during online court proceedings. In March, the Gujarat High Court fined a man Rs 2 lakh and ordered him to perform community service for attending a hearing from a lavatory. A month earlier, a different man was fined Rs 25,000 for appearing from his bed. In another case, a litigant was fined Rs 50,000 for smoking a cigarette during a virtual hearing.
The High Court has not yet announced any action against the latest offender, but the incident has raised fresh concerns about maintaining decorum in virtual courtrooms.