Mumbai: In a bid to ensure the decorum of the court is maintained by all, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday slapped a fine of Rs 5000 on a person, who was using a cell phone inside a courtroom. The fine was slapped by Justice K Rakha Shriram, who sits in courtroom number 16 (A) of the HC. According to the photo of the receipt, which has gone viral on internet, the person has been asked to shell out Rs 5000 for using cell phone inside the courtroom.
The HC had banned cell phones in the court premises in 2016 after the then Chief Justice Manjula Chellur issued such orders, prohibiting use of mobile phones in court rooms. The decision was taken after a man was found shooting court proceedings of his case in the courtroom. Apart from this incident, there were complaints from many a sitting judges about the carelessness shown by litigants in switching off their cell phones before stepping in a court. After issuing a circular to this effect, CJ Chellur had however, granted exemption to journalists from this order. Later, the peons of advocates too were granted a similar relief.
