“The indecent act… has very wide ramifications… it will be destructive to the rule of law and the institution will collapse,” the Court observed.
In a rare and stern move, the Gujarat High Court has initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against Senior Advocate Bhaskar Tanna after a video surfaced of him allegedly sipping beer during a virtual court hearing. The incident reportedly took place on June 26 while Tanna was appearing before Justice Sandeep Bhatt.
A Division Bench of Justices AS Supehia and RT Vachhani termed the conduct of the senior lawyer as “outrageous” and ordered that he be barred from appearing before them via virtual mode until further notice. The Court directed that the order be brought to the attention of the Chief Justice and, if approved, be circulated among other benches.
“Till further orders are passed, we restrict the appearance of Shri Bhaskar Tanna to appear through virtual mode before this bench. The registry shall apprise the honourable Chief Justice about the present order,” the bench stated.
The Court also expressed serious concern over the impact of such behaviour on the legal profession, especially the junior members of the Bar who regard senior advocates as mentors and role models.
“Such an act indubitably affects the young lawyer as the bar takes the senior counsel as the role model and mentors. The demeanour of Shri Tanna indubitably defiles the privilege of senior counsel conferred upon him by this court,” it said, adding that the designation of senior counsel “requires reconsideration.”
The bench observed that Tanna’s conduct had tarnished the dignity of the judiciary and warned of the larger implications of ignoring such misconduct.
“Thus, the indecent act of Shri Bhaskar Tanna has very wide ramifications as it has travelled beyond the precincts of this prestigious institution. If the act which dents the glory and dignity of the institution is disregarded, it will be destructive to the rule of law and the institution will collapse.”
The Court has directed the Registry to issue a notice to Tanna, preserve the video evidence, and prepare a report to be placed before the Court at the next hearing. The matter has been posted for further proceedings in two weeks.
