In a shocking incident, a complainant appeared before the Gujarat High Court’s virtual hearing session sitting on the pot in a toilet. An exasperated court pulled him up for serious misconduct and imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh to be deposited by the next scheduled date of hearing on July 22, 2025.. The court however, gave him the benefit of offering an apology.

The incident was caught on camera during a virtual hearing before Justice Nirzar S Desai. The complainant, Samad Abdul Rehman Shah, a resident of Kim village in Surat, logged into the video conferencing session and remained online for over an hour (total of 74 minutes) while visibly seated on a toilet.

The hearing involved a plea by two accused seeking quashing of a First Information Report (FIR) in an assault case, and Shah was present as the original complainant. Notably, Shah raised no objections to the quashing, prompting the judge to allow the petition.

The inappropriate video quickly went viral on social media,promoting public outrage. In response, the court ordered its immediate removal and directed a ban on further circulation of the clip.

A division bench of Justice A.S. Supehia and Justice R.T. Vachhani took up the matter as a case of contempt. Taking serious notice of the breach of decorum during ongoing judicial proceedings, the bench directed Shah to deposit the fine with the court’s registry. However, acknowledging his expressed regret, the bench gave Shah the option to offer an unconditional apology in writing as part of his compliance.

"Pursuant to the order dated June 30 the registry has placed the report on record. The report revealed that the contemnor joined virtual proceeding in the court of Justice Nirzar Desai on June 20. The user log shows that participant 'Samad Battery' had joined the meeting for a total duration of 74 minutes. The report further refers that in the live streaming video the participant is sitting in toilet and relieving himself...the entire details of duration of live streaming video has been reported" stated the bench.

The Gujarat High Court, which has continued allowing virtual participation in court proceedings post-pandemic, reiterated the need for dignity and respect during such online appearances.

The next hearing is scheduled for July 22, 2025.

Case status: CRIMINAL MA. No. 12821 of 2025