Advocate found smoking during online court proceedings tenders apology, Gujarat HC declares “undesirable chapter” closed

The Gujarat High Court Monday closed the 'undesirable chapter' of the case against lawyer J.V.Ajmera who was found smoking in a car during court proceedings by way of video conferencing.

The Court accepted the unconditional apology tendered by Ajmera with the hope that such "inopportune and regrettable" incidents would be avoided in the future.

"The Apex Court has addressed the lawyer as a gentleman who has to maintain high standards of morality and unimpeachable sense of legal and ethical propriety", Justice A S Supehia said.

Justice Supehia said he would only advise the advocate to be mindful of the observations of the Apex Court that a lawyer has to be a gentleman first. His most valuable asset is the respect and goodwill he enjoys among his colleagues and in the Court. He added advocate Ajmera had yet to tread a long professional path.

Earlier, the HC imposed a cost of Rs.10,000/- on the advocate which he deposited.

Taking serious note of the "irresponsible conduct of the advocate", the Court had directed the Registrar-Judicial to initiate appropriate proceedings and to submit a report within a period of 10 days to the Court.

The report, the Judge had said, would be forwarded to the Bar Council of Gujarat which would inform advocates to maintain a dignified decorum while conducting matters through video conferencing.

Read Order

http://theleaflet.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Gujarat-HC-Order.pdf