Guj HC initiates contempt action against senior advocate for attending virtual hearing with beer mug
Ahmedabad, Jul 1 (PTI): Appalled by a senior counsel sipping from a beer mug and talking on the phone while virtually attending a hearing, the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against him for the "outrageous and glaring" conduct.
A division bench of Justice A.S. Supehia and Justice R.T. Vachhani stated that Bhaskar Tanna's senior counsel title should be withdrawn owing to his conduct but decided to take further action after hearing the case.
The incident occurred before a bench of Justice Sandeep Bhatt on June 25 and a video clip was circulated on social media thereafter.
"A video clip of high court proceedings widely circulated in social media shows his contemptuous behaviour of talking on the phone and also having a drink in a beer mug while attending the hearing," Justice Supehia stated.
This "outrageous and glaring" act of Tanna has very wide ramifications, and if ignored or disregarded, it will be destructive to the rule of law, the court stated.
"We direct the registry to initiate suo motu contempt of court proceedings against senior counsel Bhaskar Tanna. The registry will submit a report before the next date of hearing," it said.
In a legal context, "suo motu" refers to a court or other authority taking action on its own initiative, without being formally requested or petitioned by another party.
The high court directed (the registry) to issue a notice to Tanna and barred him from appearing virtually before the batch.
"The demeanour of Tanna defies the privilege of senior counsel conferred upon him by the court. As per our opinion his title should be withdrawn, however, that will be decided at a later stage," Justice Supehia stated.
The contempt proceedings will be heard after two weeks.
A shocking video clip had gone viral a week ago showing a man attending proceedings of the Gujarat High Court virtually by sitting on a toilet seat.
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IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Raipur after passenger falls unconscious onboard
Raipur (PTI): A Kolkata-Pune IndiGo flight made an emergency landing at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Thursday after a woman passenger suffered a medical emergency mid-air, officials said.
After the passenger lost consciousness during the journey, the flight crew immediately alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC) and sought urgent medical assistance, following which a decision was taken to land the aircraft in Raipur, an airport statement said.
"Flight 6E-135 was diverted and landed safely at the Raipur airport at around 12 noon. Upon landing, a medical team arranged by the Airports Authority of India provided first aid to the passenger. She was later shifted to a nearby hospital by ambulance for further treatment," it said.
After completion of necessary procedures and the situation normalised, the flight resumed its journey to Pune at around 1 pm, an official said.
The entire operation was handled swiftly and in a coordinated manner, ensuring passenger safety and minimal disruption, he added.
