A Delhi court issued a summons to Sushil Kumar after he was caught smoking during a video conference hearing. The judge has directed him to appear in person on March 29 to explain his misconduct.
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NEW DELHI: In a surprising and serious incident, a man was caught smoking a cigarette during an online court hearing.
This happened on March 25, 2025, when he joined the video conference for his case at the Tis Hazari Court in Delhi.
The man, Sushil Kumar, was attending his case virtually, but instead of showing respect to the court, he started smoking a cigarette while the hearing was going on. This act was seen by the judge and others present during the video conference.
The court was shocked by his behaviour. Additional District Judge Shiv Kumar, who was hearing the matter, immediately took note of this misconduct. As per the court’s official order, when Kumar was asked why he was smoking during the hearing, he suddenly left the virtual courtroom without giving any reply.
Even his lawyer did not stay back. According to the court order,
“His counsel also left the court after taking a date from the court,”
which means the lawyer asked for a new date and exited the hearing too.
Because of this behaviour, the judge decided to take action. A formal notice has now been issued to Sushil Kumar, ordering him to come in person to the court on March 29, 2025, and explain his actions. The judge clearly stated in the order:
“The applicant no.1/Sh. Sushil Kumar is directed to remain present in the Court on 29.03.2025 and file his explanation, as to why action should not be taken against him for smoking on the VC, during Court proceedings.”
Sushil Kumar’s case is related to the Indian Succession Act, and it was scheduled for hearing on that day. A screenshot showing him smoking during the video call went viral on social media, causing even more embarrassment.
According to the court, Kumar was not only smoking, but before that, he was also talking on the phone while other cases were being heard. The court had already warned him because this was disturbing the proceedings. But since he did not follow the court’s instructions, his audio was muted to stop the disturbance.
When finally his own case was called, the court asked him about his earlier misbehaviour. In reply, Kumar apologised and promised not to repeat such an act. But just moments later, as the court began to record the official order, Kumar was seen smoking again on screen. This led the judge to take strict action and call him to court physically.
At the same time, another shocking incident came to light. A different image went viral on social media showing another man attending a Delhi High Court virtual hearing while wearing only an undershirt. This raised further concerns about people not taking virtual hearings seriously.
In the viral image, even the judge’s frustration could be seen clearly, as the screenshot captured their reaction to the lack of proper courtroom behaviour.
Though it is still unclear why that man was appearing before the judge, the Delhi High Court has earlier expressed serious concern over how people behave during online hearings.
The Court had even told the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) to educate and make lawyers aware about proper behaviour and dressing during virtual court appearances.
This order was passed after one lawyer tried to represent his clients from a public park, using just his mobile phone, showing a complete disregard for court decorum.
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