An advocate of the Madras High Court was suspended on Tuesday from practicing for his alleged ’improper’ behaviour with a woman during the course of the virtual hearing of a case before a single judge. RD Santhana Krishnan, an advocate from here, was prevented from practising as an advocate in all courts, tribunals and other authorities in India either in his name or in any assumed name till the disposal of the disciplinary proceedings pending against him for his alleged indecent behaviour, a press release from the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry said.
The video purportedly showed the lawyer in an intimate posture with a woman, while a judge was hearing a case through video-conferencing on Monday. It went viral on Tuesday. However, this is not the first time such an incident has come to light during court proceedings. Here are some examples:
Lawyer Chewing Gutka, Barely Able to Say ‘Sorry’
During a virtual hearing before the Supreme Court in August 2020, a lawyer was seen chewing gutka. When the Bench drew him up, the counsel could only muster a pitiful “sorry.”
Hookah Session During Hearing
Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan was seen smoking his hookah during another virtual hearing before the Supreme Court. Even as another Senior Advocate was making arguments, the veteran lawyer continued to puff on the hookah, Bar and Bench reported.
Spitting, Smoking Cigarette
In September 2020, the Gujarat High Court imposed costs on an accused who was caught on camera “spitting” during a virtual hearing. The same High Court had previously chastised an advocate for appearing before it while seated in a car and smoking a cigarette.
Lawyers in ‘Baniyan’
One of the first such cases was reported from the Rajasthan High Court in April 2020, when a lawyer appeared in his baniyan (vest) to argue a bail matter before Justice SP Sharma via video conferencing. As a result, Justice Sharma directed the High Court Bar Association to urge all advocates to appear in uniform during video-conference hearings.
However, such incidents continued, with the Delhi High Court fining a man $10,000 for appearing for a virtual hearing in his vest.
In June 2020, an advocate appeared in front of the Supreme Court while lying on his bed and wearing only a t-shirt. The advocate admitted to the Court that making such a court appearance was “inappropriate” on his side. While accepting his apology, Justice S Ravindra Bhat emphasised the importance of lawyers appearing in court in a “presentable” manner.
Lawyer Appears on Hearing While Riding Scooter
A lawyer attempted to appear before the Allahabad High Court via video conference in June 2021 while riding a scooter. A Division Bench of Justices Manoj Kumar Gupta and Syed Aftab Husain Rizvi warned the counsel not to repeat the act in the future.
Later, the High Court issued a judicial order stating that advocates appearing for court hearings via video conference while driving a scooter, lounging on a bed, wearing colourful clothes, or putting on a face mask cannot be accepted, emphasising the importance of adhering to the lawyer’s dress code. These orders, however, appeared to have no effect on a lawyer who later appeared for a virtual hearing from within his car.
Fan Sings Juhi Chawla’s Songs During 5G Hearing
Another notable incident occurred when a fan gained access to the virtual hearing before the Delhi High Court in the case filed by actress Juhi Chawla challenging the deployment of 5G technology. While the hearing was going on, an unidentified young man began singing songs from Chawla’s films.
Justice JR Midha, who was hearing the case, initially requested that the concerned individual be muted. However, because the singing continued, the Court issued a contempt of court notice and asked the Delhi Police to locate the person.
Semi-nude Appearance
The most recent example was a man who appeared semi-naked during a virtual hearing before the Karnataka High Court while Senior Counsel Indira Jaising was arguing. Jaising then filed a contempt of court case against him, as well as a sexual harassment complaint.
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