Man attends Gujarat High Court proceeding from toilet seat; video goes viral

Ahmedabad: A video going around on social media shows a man attending a virtual hearing of the Gujarat High Court while sitting on a toilet, raising concerns over decorum during online court proceedings.

The incident occurred on June 20 during a session before Justice Nirzar S Desai. The man, logged in under the name ‘Samad Battery’ and wearing Bluetooth earphones, initially appeared in a close-up frame. He later placed his phone at a distance, revealing that he was seated on a toilet. The footage shows him relieving himself, then cleaning himself, wearing pants, and leaving the washroom before reappearing in another room.

As per court records, the man was a respondent in a plea to quash an FIR, where he was also the original complainant. Since both parties reached a mutual settlement, the court proceeded to quash the FIR.

This is not an isolated case of inappropriate conduct during virtual hearings. In April, the Gujarat High Court imposed a ₹50,000 fine on a litigant caught smoking during a video hearing. In another case, the HC had slapped a fine of ₹2 lakh on a 42-year-old man who had also joined the court from a lavatory. DeshGujarat