Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, Jul 15: In a bizarre incident that sparked outrage, the Gujarat High Court has directed a man to deposit Rs 1 lac after he attended a virtual court hearing while sitting on a toilet seat.
The man, identified as Samad Abdul Rehman Shah from Kim village in Surat, was appearing before Justice Nirzar S Desai during a live-streamed hearing on June 20 when the shocking moment was caught on video. The footage, which soon went viral, prompted the court to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings.
On Monday, the division bench comprising Justices A S Supehia and R T Vachhani noted that Shah had admitted to his conduct and expressed willingness to tender an unconditional apology. The court ordered him to deposit Rs 1 lakh with the registry by July 22, the next date of hearing.
The court’s report revealed that Shah remained connected to the hearing for 74 minutes, during which he was seen relieving himself. After finishing, he picked up his phone and left, only to rejoin later from a different room wearing wireless earphones.
His lawyer confirmed to the court that Shah had been advised to appear appropriately but failed to do so. The high court termed the act disrespectful and banned the viral video, citing damage to the judiciary’s image.
Shah had joined the hearing related to an assault case, where he was the complainant. He informed the court that the matter had been settled and had no objection to quashing the FIR against the accused, which the court later approved.
Since the pandemic, the Gujarat High Court has allowed virtual hearings and live-streams the proceedings on YouTube for transparency.