A 42-year-old man who attended a virtual court hearing from a lavatory learnt a lesson the hard way when Gujarat High Court imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh for his improper conduct. Calling it "not only unacceptable but shameful", the court also ordered him to perform community service for two weeks.

Dhaval Patel, who was attending the virtual hearing on February 17, initially connected to the proceedings but later got disconnected. When he rejoined, he was in a washroom, and the video of this incident went viral on the internet. Following this, a complaint was filed at Sola police station, after which the Gujarat High Court took the matter seriously.

Justice M K Thakker called the act indecent and unacceptable, especially considering that Patel is a BSc graduate and an employee of a private company.

The judge emphasised that such misconduct cannot be tolerated. Keeping this in mind, the court imposed a fine of ₹2,00,000 and instructed Patel to report to court every day at 10 am. He is required to report to a special officer and clean gardens for two weeks under supervision.

The court directed that ₹50,000 should be deposited in Shishu Gruh Paldi, while the remaining amount should be transferred to the Gujarat High Court Legal Aid Services Authority.

The defence argued that the incident was an unintentional mistake. However, Justice Thakker rejected this argument, stating that “a 42-year-old B Sc graduate working in the Reliance Group cannot claim ignorance regarding the operation of virtual hearing applications. The court further stated that such an indecent act is not only unacceptable but also shameful and must be strictly condemned. If courts do not take strict action against such behavior, it could lower the dignity of the judicial system in the eyes of the public.”