The Gujarat High Court has directed a man to deposit ₹1 lakh with the court registry after he was found attending a virtual court hearing while relieving himself on a toilet seat. The court took note of the man’s willingness to tender an unconditional apology during contempt proceedings.

The incident occurred on June 20 during a hearing presided over by Justice Nirzar S Desai. A video clip showing the man, identified as Samad Abdul Rehman Shah, participating in the virtual proceedings from a toilet quickly went viral, prompting the court to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings.

On July 15, a division bench comprising Justices AS Supehia and RT Vachhani noted that Shah had admitted to his conduct during the live-streamed hearing and had expressed readiness to apologize without conditions. “At this stage, we direct the contemnor to deposit an amount of ₹1 lakh with the registry of this court by the next date of hearing,” the bench ordered. The next hearing is scheduled for July 22.

A report submitted to the court stated that Shah remained connected to the hearing for approximately 74 minutes, during which he was seen relieving himself on camera.

Shah’s counsel informed the court that his client regretted the incident and would tender an unconditional apology. The advocate also confirmed that he had previously advised Shah to maintain decorum during the hearing.

The video, which sparked widespread criticism, showed Shah using a toilet during the live-streamed proceedings. The court promptly ordered the video’s removal and imposed a ban on its circulation, citing concerns over damage to the judiciary’s image