‘Loo’dicrous behaviour: Man joins Gujarat HC virtual hearing from pot seat, video goes viral-WATCH

In a strange and now-viral video from a Gujarat High Court virtual hearing, a man was found attending court while he was sitting on a toilet seat. The incident happened on Friday (June 20) during a hearing in front of Justice Nirzar S Desai. Legal news website Bar and Bench posted an audio recording of the proceeding that has since gone viral online.

The man is seen logged in as "Samad Battery" in the video, with a Bluetooth earphone hanging around his neck. At first, he is seen close up, but then he sets his phone away, which shows him sitting on a toilet seat. The video continues to depict him cleaning himself and later exiting the washroom. Soon after, he appears in another room, appearing oblivious to, or unconcerned with, the location he had just exposed himself in.

As per a report in Bar and Bench, according to court documents, the man appeared as a respondent in a case related to the quashing of a First Information Report (FIR). In fact, he was the original complainant in the case. The court went on to quash the FIR after an amicable settlement among the parties involved. The video sparked swift and sharp reactions on social media, especially from legal professionals and citizens stunned by the man’s casual misconduct.

One of the user posted, “Only lawyers can conduct VC. If a client would like to join him, he should join from the lawyer's chamber. Such events will attract world shame. What audacity. Should be strictly punished.” Another user joked about the fellow's camera swagger, "How much trust he has on his camera placement." And in a sarcastic interpretation, one commenter said, "Contempt of court in the highest odour—I mean order."

Notably, this is not the first time courtroom etiquette has been breached in online hearings. In April this year, the Gujarat High Court imposed a ₹50,000 fine on a litigant who had appeared through video smoking a cigarette, the report added further. A similar drama was enacted in March in a Delhi court when a litigant was called to court after being spotted smoking during a hearing.