GUJARAT | 14TH JULY 2025 – In a shocking incident, the Gujarat High Court on Monday imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on a man who attended virtual court proceedings from a toilet and was seen relieving himself live on video. The case has been registered as Suo motu v Samad Abdul Rehman Shah.
COURT’S STRONG REMARKS ON CONTEMPT
A Division Bench of Justices AS Supehia and RT Vachhani called the conduct of the contemnor, Samad Abdul Rehman Shah, “contumacious” and stated that the Court is also considering sending him to jail.
“The contemnor has admitted about his conduct during the live-streaming proceedings. Thus, at this stage, we direct the contemnor to deposit ₹1 lakh before the registry of this court before the next date of hearing,” the Court ordered.
LACK OF PREVENTIVE MEASURES NOTED
The Bench also expressed displeasure at the High Court Registrar (Information & Technology) for not filing a reply on steps to avoid such incidents in the future.
The Registrar’s counsel assured the Court that assistance would be provided on the next date of hearing. The case has been listed for further hearing on July 22.
DETAILS OF THE VIRAL INCIDENT
The shocking incident took place on June 20, before Justice Nirzar S Desai.
A video clip went viral showing a man, logged in as ‘Samad Battery’, first appearing in a close-up wearing a Bluetooth earphone. He then placed his phone at a distance, revealing he was seated on a toilet. The video further showed him cleaning himself, leaving the washroom, and then reappearing on camera.
According to court records, Shah was appearing as a respondent in a petition to quash a first information report (FIR), in which he was the original complainant. Eventually, following an amicable resolution, the Court quashed the FIR.
