‘Failed to understand decorum': Delhi High Court slams another lawyer who appears for virtual hearing from park
After noting the advocate, who was appearing through videoconferencing, moving around in a park while dealing with a bail petition, Justice Girish Kathpalia recorded in his order, 'Some counsel has appeared through videoconferencing, using her mobile phone, while moving around in a park and on being asked, she informs that she is standing in Agra court.'
'Despite repeated directions, certain sections of the Bar have failed to understand (the) decorum of the court. The facility of videoconferencing, which was started during (the) Covid pandemic, was extended in order to ensure that the counsel may appear through videoconferencing sitting in his/her office so that the counsel is spared of running around in different court complexes in Delhi. But this does not mean that the counsel would appear standing in a park,' said Justice Kathpalia.
The court noted that similar directions had been issued earlier and sent to all bar associations across Delhi, with a request to sensitise their members, however, it appeared that this had not been done.
In a similar incident in January, when another advocate appeared from a park, Justice Kathpalia emphasised that 'hybrid courts also are courts only'. He noted that advocates were not following specific directions to maintain court decorum while appearing virtually.
In its order then, the court requested the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) as well as bar associations of all districts of Delhi to 'sensitise the members of the Bar with regard to appearance in hybrid court'.
In both cases, Justice Kathpalia refused to mark the appearances of the advocates while recording that the litigant must not be affected. In the latest order, he issued a notice to the prosecution regarding the bail plea.
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