10 hrs ago
Bombay High Court Acts After Employee Secretly Records Hearing
Vilas Shamrao Wagh attended a hearing at the Bombay High Court.
The judges said they saw him recording the proceedings with his phone.
He reportedly tried to erase the video, but court staff recovered it.
Wagh said he had come to meet a government pleader and had no case before the court.
The judges said visitors may watch hearings but must follow courtroom rules.
They accepted his apology and said they would not pursue contempt action against him.
A separate order required him to submit an unconditional apology in an affidavit by October 9.
The article headline says he was fined ₹10,000, but its account of the orders does not explain that fine.
The court said Vilas Shamrao Wagh secretly recorded proceedings on his mobile phone.
Judges noticed Wagh in the courtroom with his phone’s flash on, and he reportedly tried to delete the recording.
The court’s IT Department recovered the video from the phone’s deleted items.
The bench accepted Wagh’s apology and said it would not act against him under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
A separate order directed Wagh to file an affidavit with an unconditional apology by October 9; the headline reports a ₹10,000 fine, but the article body does not explain its imposition.
- Who
- Vilas Shamrao Wagh, a government employee, and a bench of Bombay High Court justices.
- What
- Wagh was found recording a court hearing; the court accepted his apology and directed him to file an unconditional apology affidavit.
- Where
- The Bombay High Court courtroom.
- When
- The recording was noticed on Monday; the separate affidavit order set October 9 as the deadline.
- Why
- The court said courtroom attendees must follow its rules; Wagh said he had come to meet the government pleader about another matter.
Key facts
- Person
- Vilas Shamrao Wagh
- Recording
- The court’s IT Department recovered the video from the phone’s deleted items.
- Court action
- The court accepted Wagh’s apology and refrained from acting under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
- Affidavit deadline
- October 9
- Fine reported in headline
- ₹10,000; the article body does not explain the fine or describe its imposition.
- Bench
- Justices G.S. Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale
Quotes
Bombay High Court bench
The bench of Justices GS Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale hearing the matter.
“There cannot be any objection for any member of the public to attend the Court and witness the Court proceedings, as they are open proceedings. However, certainly, restrictions on any member of the public to adhere to the rules and regulations governing the Court proceedings, when inside the Courtroom, need to be followed in letter and spirit.”
freepressjournal.in
“We do not know the purpose and intent of Shri. Wagh having indulged in such an act.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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