This is an archive article published on April 1, 2025
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‘Didn’t know my video was on’: Man caught smoking during virtual hearing apologises to Delhi court
The Delhi court had previously identified the litigant's misconduct, including talking on the phone during proceedings, which led to him being muted.
As per the court order dated March 29, the man requested that he be pardoned and that he would not repeat such conduct in the future. (Representational Image)
A litigant summoned by a Delhi court for smoking a cigarette during video conferencing on March 26 appeared before the court and apologised Saturday.
Sushil Kumar appeared in person before District Judge Shiv Kumar of Tis Hazari Court and stated that he was not aware that he was visible on video while smoking a cigarette. Submitting that he had forgotten to switch off his video and did not know it was on, he said he had no intention of breaching the decorum of the court by smoking during the court proceedings.
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As per the court order dated March 29, Kumar requested that he be pardoned and that he would not repeat such conduct in the future. Following this, Judge Kumar directed him to file an affidavit and posted the matter for April 21.
According to the court order passed on March 26, while hearings of other cases were going on, Kumar was talking on the phone. After this, the court asked him to refrain from doing so as it disturbed the proceedings.
Despite this, Kumar allegedly ignored the court’s directions, leading to him being muted. When questioned about his “misconduct”, he apologised to the court and promised not to repeat the same mistake.
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A few moments later, a court staff member managing the video conferencing facility caught Kumar smoking a cigarette during the dictation of an order. When questioned again, Kumar exited the web meeting, as per court order.
As per the court order dated March 29, the man requested that he be pardoned and that he would not repeat such conduct in the future. (Representational Image) 
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