gujarat-hc-acts-on-man-joining-hearing-from-toilet

The Gujarat High Court has initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against a man who appeared during a virtual court hearing while seated on a toilet, an incident that went viral on social media and drew sharp criticism from the judiciary.

 

The episode occurred on 20 June during a virtual hearing presided over by Justice Nirzar S. Desai. A video, now widely circulated online, shows a man wearing a yellow T-shirt, identified onscreen as ‘Samad Battery’, logging into the court’s live proceedings via mobile phone while using a toilet.

 

In response, a division bench of Justices A.S. Supehia and R.T. Vachhani on 30 June directed the High Court registry to register a suo motu contempt case.

 

The court issued its oral order on 3 July, instructing the Registrar of Information and Technology to suggest ways to prevent such disruptive behaviour during live-streamed hearings.

 

The bench noted that disorderly conduct had become increasingly common and stressed the need for mechanisms to restrict such participation.

 

“Registry shall issue the notice to the contemnor as to why he should not be prosecuted and punished for committing Contempt of Court as defined under Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971,” the order stated. The court added that the proceedings would be listed in two weeks.

 

Calling the video “infamous” and stating it had “tarnished the image of this court,” the bench urged authorities to ensure the video is banned and deleted from social media platforms.

 

The video reportedly shows Abdul Samad, a resident of Kim village in Surat district and a complainant in an assault case, placing his phone on the toilet floor with the camera facing him. After finishing his business, he picked up the phone and walked out.

 

Justice Desai, who was presiding over the matter, appeared unaware of the man’s actions during the live session. The same man was later seen rejoining the livestream, this time from a different room, wearing wireless earphones and waiting for his turn.

 

Approximately ten minutes later, Justice Desai asked the man to identify himself. Samad confirmed his identity and said he had no objection to the quashing of the First Information Report lodged by him against two men. His lawyers told the court that both parties had reached a compromise in the matter.

 

Following the confirmation, the court allowed the petition seeking to quash the FIR.