Delhi High Court slaps Rs 1 lakh cost over virtual court appearance

The Delhi High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on a lawyer for appearing virtually before it from a moving car, holding that the lawyer’s conduct was in violation of the rules. Justice Om Prakash Shukla said while the convenience offered by virtual hearings was appreciated, it could not be at the cost of the court’s decorum or causing disturbance in the conduct of judicial proceedings.

“When this court has to deal with more than 70 matters in a day, background noise and movement during the hearing are disruptive for this court to proceed,” said the judge in the order passed on September 28.