Gujarat Lawyer Drinking Beer: Lawyer seen drinking from ‘beer mug’ and speaking on phone; HC issues contempt notice – watch | Ahmedabad News

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court issued a contempt notice to a senior advocate after a video went viral online, showing the latter “speaking on the phone” and drinking from a “beer mug” during a hearing. The judges stated that such conduct, when public, affects both the dignity of the court and the standards expected of senior advocates. The bench of Justice A S Supehia and Justice R T Vachhani took suo motu cognizance of the video, ordered the court registry to issue a notice to senior lawyer Bhaskar Tanna and scheduled further hearing after two weeks. A decision on whether to reconsider Tanna’s senior status will follow further proceedings.In its order released on Thursday, the bench stated, “An outrageous and glaring conduct of Bhaskar Tanna, senior advocate during the virtual hearing conducted on June 26, 2025, before the bench of Justice Sandeep Bhatt, has come to the notice of this court. The video clip of live streaming proceedings, which is being widely circulated on social media, shows his contemptuous behaviour of talking on the phone and having a drink in a beer mug while attending the court proceedings. Thus, the indecent act has very wide ramifications since it has travelled beyond the precincts of this prestigious institution.”By citing the rules framed for live-streaming and online proceedings, the court further said, “If an act which dents the glory and dignity of the institution is ignored or disregarded, it will be destructive to the rule of law and the institution will collapse. Such an act, indubitably, also affects the young lawyers at the bar, since they always take the senior counsels as their role models and mentors.”The HC also contemplated reconsideration of the senior counsel’s designation, “Tanna’s demeanour, unquestionably defiles the privilege of senior counsel conferred upon him by this court. In our opinion, the designation of senior counsel adorned to him by this court requires reconsideration. In this regard, an appropriate order, if necessitated, will be passed by this court at an appropriate stage.”The HC directed the registry to prepare a report on the incident and place it before the bench during the next hearing. Till further orders, the senior counsel was barred from appearing through video conference in virtual court before this bench.The HC also directed the registry to apprise the chief justice about this order and further stated, “In case, hon’ble chief justice permits, the present order shall be circulated to the principal private secretaries / private secretaries of the respective benches.”