A Delhi court fined a murder-accused surgeon for tossing rice in front of the dais, halting proceedings as lawyers suspected “black magic.” The accused apologised and was sentenced till court rising with a Rs 2,000 fine.
New Delhi: A Delhi court has recently penalised a medical surgeon who is already facing trial in a 2011 murder case for strangely disrupting court proceedings. The incident occurred when the accused, Dr. Chander Vibhas, allegedly threw rice grains onto the dais during a hearing, resulting in a temporary halt to the proceedings.
According to the court records, the matter was listed for hearing on August 11 before Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Shefali Barnala Tandon at the Tis Hazari Court. Before the hearing could start, court staff and lawyers informed the judge that the accused had thrown rice grains on the floor under the dais.
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This unusual act caused discomfort among the advocates present, many of whom refused to come forward to argue their matters, suspecting “black magic” by the accused.
The proceedings came to a standstill as the lawyers requested that the rice be removed before continuing. The court noted that it took around 10 minutes for a cleaner to arrive and clear the area, during which time no case could be heard.
While addressing the matter, the judge remarked,
“This is very shocking and surprising to the Court that the present accused Dr Chander Vibhas, who is stated to be a Surgeon by profession and belonging to the educated and elite class, has acted in such an unreasonable manner and created an interruption in the Court proceedings.”
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The court further stated,
“Accordingly, this court is constrained to take cognisance of the offence under Section 267 BNS, 2023 against accused Dr Chander Vibhas since proceedings of the Court were halted for about 15-20 minutes and it is triable by this very Court where the said offence has been committed.”
On being questioned by the judge, Dr. Vibhas claimed that he was simply holding some rice in his hands and that it “had just fallen down.”
However, he could not give a convincing explanation as to why he was carrying rice while entering the court and during the proceedings. The court also noted that a similar incident had allegedly occurred on August 2, but the court was on leave that day.
After hearing the matter and considering the circumstances, the court recorded that the accused had apologised for his actions.
“After considering all the facts and circumstances, including the apology tendered by the accused and his feeling of remorse, he is sentenced to undergo imprisonment till the rising of the Court and a fine of Rs 2,000 to be deposited with the State,”
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ASJ Tandon ordered on August 11.
The fine was paid by the accused on the same day. The court order makes it clear that the actions of the accused caused a clear disruption in court proceedings and were taken seriously, especially since they involved behaviour that the court considered unreasonable for someone of his profession and background.
Case Title:
State v Chander Vibhash
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