The Gujarat High Court has initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against senior counsel after he attended a virtual court hearing while sipping from a beer mug and talking on the phone simultaneously on June 25. The incident, described as “outrageous and glaring" by the court, took place before a bench of Justice Sandeep Bhatt. A video clip of the hearing quickly went viral on social media, prompting swift judicial action.
A division bench of Justice A.S. Supehia and Justice R.T. Vachhani stated that Bhaskar Tanna’s senior counsel title should be withdrawn owing to his conduct but decided to take further action after hearing the case.
The court observed that Tanna’s behaviour undermines the dignity of the court and may have serious ramifications if left unchecked.
“A video clip of high court proceedings widely circulated in social media shows his contemptuous behaviour of talking on the phone and also having a drink in a beer mug while attending the hearing, Justice Supehia as saying.
“We direct the registry to initiate suo motu contempt of court proceedings against senior counsel Bhaskar Tanna. The registry will submit a report before the next date of hearing," the court ordered.
Justice Supehia remarked, suggesting that Tanna’s senior counsel designation should be withdrawn—though a final decision will be made after further proceedings.
“The demeanour of Tanna defies the privilege of senior counsel conferred upon him by the court. As per our opinion his title should be withdrawn, however, that will be decided at a later stage," Justice Supehia stated.
The bench directed the court registry to initiate contempt proceedings and submit a report before the next hearing. Tanna has been barred from appearing in court virtually until further notice.
In legal terms, “suo motu" refers to the court taking action on its own initiative, without any external petition or request.
The contempt matter is scheduled to be heard after two weeks.
This comes another a shocking incident where a participant was seen attending virtual proceedings from a toilet seat, further raising concerns about decorum and the misuse of remote hearings. The video of the incident had gone viral.
Source: News18