NEW DELHI: A video of a man attending a Gujarat high court hearing while seated on a toilet has gone viral, sparking outrage over repeated instances of inappropriate behaviour during virtual court proceedings. The incident took place on June 20 before the bench of Justice Nirzar S Desai. The man, logged in as ‘Samad Battery’, initially appeared onscreen with a Bluetooth earphone around his neck. Moments later, he adjusted the camera, revealing that he was seated on a toilet. The video further shows him cleaning himself and exiting the washroom, before reappearing in another room. According to court records, the man was a respondent in a plea seeking quashing of an FIR, in which he was also the original complainant. The matter had been settled amicably between parties, and the FIR was quashed by the court. This is not the first such incident in virtual courtrooms. In April, the Gujarat High Court imposed a Rs 50,000 fine on a litigant found smoking during a video conference. Similarly, in March, a Delhi court summoned a litigant who was also seen smoking while attending proceedings online. Courts across the country have repeatedly urged litigants and lawyers to maintain decorum during virtual hearings, treating them with the same seriousness as physical appearances.
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