Lawyer’s troubles, a mobile call away

July 8: When Advocate Girish Kedia's mobile went off at the City Civil and Sessions Court this afternoon, he had no idea the call would cos...

July 8: When Advocate Girish Kedia’s mobile went off at the City Civil and Sessions Court this afternoon, he had no idea the call would cost him Rs 200. It also caused him a lot of embarrassment.

Mobile phones are not allowed in the court premises, but the lawyer it seems was ignorant of the rule. So, when sub-inspector Gautam Kamble of the Colaba police station, alarmed by the tinker, accosted Kedia and asked him to pay a fine, the latter started arguing. Had he not made the mistake of arguing with a police officer, he could have got away with a fine of Rs 100. “When I told Kedia that the use of cellular phones is prohibited in the court premises, he started arguing with me. He was very rude, though I was talking to him with due respect.” Kedia demanded to see a copy of the order prohibiting use of cellular phones, which was duly shown to him.

According to sections 115, 116 and 117 of the Bombay Police Act, smoking, spitting and creating nuisance in the precincts of the court is prohibited. An offender can be arrested. The sessions court, in fact, has deputed a special squad to maintain order in the premises. The court registrar has also issued a notice to this effect. Kedia’s, however, was not an isolated case. Since June 9, 1997, the day the court reopened after the summer vacation, Kamble with constable Shende and court staffers Eknath Nagre, Sushil Kate, Rajesh Keer and others of the squad, have charged about 145 people for smoking, spitting or using cellular phones. The squad has recovered about Rs 15,000 in fine from defaulters. “Surprisingly, most defaulters belong to the upper crust of society. They are also rude to us. Recently, when I charged a person for using his mobile phone in the court, he said he was close to R D Tyagi and that I would have to pay the price for charging him,” Kamble said. He refused to give in to the pressure and fined the person claiming Tyagi’s acquaintance. He also was charged Rs 200.