Nishka Srinivas Veluvali
Published On: January 18, 2022 at 20:16 IST
Due to rising Cases of COVID-19, the Courts have turned to Virtual Hearings which has led to etiquette blunders by Lawyers and Litigants appearing through various video conferencing platforms.
Earlier on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, the Kerala High Court noticed a man either brushing or shaving who was frequently appearing before the camera during Court proceedings.
The video that got viral on social media platform shows the man moving to and fro in a room that allegedly looks like a bathroom and brushing his teeth or shaving his face.
This is not the first incident recorded. There have been many instances where activities were undertaken unintentionally before the camera.
The Madras High Court in December 21, 2021 had instituted an action under Contempt of Court against Advocate RD Santhana Krishnan who was caught in a compromising position with a woman while attending the Virtual Hearing.
Prior to this incident, Senior Advocate Indira Jaising pronounced through social media platform – Twitter that she would be filing a Contempt of Court and Sexual Harassment Cases against the man who appeared semi – naked in the Virtual Hearing of the Karnataka High Court.
The Advocates and the Parties attending the Court were several times caught in inappropriate attires violating the decorum of the Court both Virtually as well as Physically.
Apart from the issue of violation of Court’s decorum, the Virtual Hearings are also facing the obstacle of unstable network connections and devices without proper functioning of camera.
The Supreme Court on Monday, issued a notice directing the Advocates as well as Petitioners to join the Virtual Court Hearings before the Supreme Court with proper internet connection through their laptops or desktops and keep away the usage of mobile phones for the same.