Virtual Hearings: Gujarat High Court imposes costs on person seen spitting on camera during hearing [Read Order]

A person who was spotted "spitting" on camera during a virtual case hearing in the Gujarat High Court recently invited the ire of the Presiding Judge, Justice AS Supheia..Making no attempt to veil his disapproval, the Judge remarked:."...the accused No.1, who is present before this Court through video conferencing, seems spitting openly. This Court is not inclined to take up the matter today looking to the conduct of the applicant-accused No. 1."Justice AS Supheia.The person has been asked to deposit Rs. 500 as costs, failing which the Court will refuse to consider his case..This is not the first of such incidents being captured on camera during the virtual hearings that have become the norm after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.. Justice Supheia himself recently deprecated the conduct of an Advocate, who appeared before the virtual court while seated in a car and smoking a cigarette..The Judge had remarked, at the time, ."This Court seriously deprecates such conduct of the advocate Mr. J.V. Ajmera. It was not expected from an advocate to be smoking in the car during the Court proceedings. Such behaviour of the advocate is required to be strictly condemned.The Bench had further emphasized the need to maintain a minimum decorum during Court proceedings. .A few months ago, an advocate who appeared in Court in a vest was at the receiving end of the Rajasthan High Court's censure..In a video that went viral on social media, Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhawan was seen taking puffs of a hookah during the politically-charged Sachin Pilot hearings before the Rajasthan High Court. .These instances have not been limited to the High Courts, the Supreme Court recently accepted the apology of a person who was dressed in a t-shirt during the virtual proceedings..Just last month, the Supreme Court reprimanded a lawyer who was seen chewing gutka during the virtual hearing. .Courtroom decorum gone up in smoke? Supreme Court chews out counsel for consuming Gutka as lawyers take to vices on video.The adjourned matter at the Gujarat High Court is expected to continue on October 7, 2020..Read the Order here: