In a recent ruling of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Sanjay Vashisth took strong exception to the increasing trend of lawyers relying on their mobile phones during court proceedings to look up legal information online. The Court observed that such conduct disrupts the decorum of proceedings and reflects inadequate preparation on the part of counsel.

Background of the Case

During the hearing, the Court noted that the learned counsel repeatedly used his mobile phone to answer judicial queries by searching for information online – material that should have been collected in advance while preparing for arguments. This, according to the Court, is not an isolated instance but part of a growing and concerning pattern among members of the Bar.

Justice Vashisth remarked that the Court has been “concerned and bothered time and again by the respective members of the Bar using mobile phones during the course of hearing, just in front of the Court.” The judge observed that in some cases, “proceedings are to be stalled, awaiting the answer, which would come only after retrieving information from such mobile phone.”

This is not the first time the Court has had to address such behaviour. Earlier, on 19th September 2025, in another matter (Ravneet Singh Sandhu @ Manveer Singh v. UT of Chandigarh), a lawyer’s mobile phone was seized for similar conduct. The High Court Bar Association was then informed and directed to circulate the order among its members to discourage such practices.

The Court’s Directions and Observations

Taking note of the recurrence of this issue, Justice Vashisth directed that a copy of the present order be supplied to the President and Secretary of the Bar Association to ensure that lawyers are reminded of their professional obligations and courtroom decorum. The Court cautioned that continued disregard of such directions could invite stricter action in the future.

The Court specifically stated –

“Let today’s order be also supplied, so that the President/Secretary of the Bar Association may apprise the worthy members not to compel the Court to pass any harsh order on account of repeated use of mobile phones during the course of hearing to update themselves through artificial intelligence/online platforms/google information.”

Case Title: RXXXXX vs. State of Haryana CRM-M-31392-2025