Refresh @ 10 – XI

READ this interesting bit about a judge holding himself in contempt of the court he presided as his mobile went beep. Raymond Voet, chief district judge of Ionia County in Michigan, also fined himself USD 25 for the misdemeanor. Voet has been quoted by the local media as saying that he wanted to let all those fined earlier by him know that he lived by the same set of rules. Some lesson there for our PF scam tainted lordships.

This reminds me of my own running aground in a court over mobile phone some time ago. This happened at the Gujarat High Court in a proceeding connected with one of the many fake encounter cases now in courts. Chief justice S J Mukhopadhyay was heading the bench that included Justice Akil Kureshi. Sitting on one of the front rows I was engrossed in the hearing and taking notes of observations being made on my mobile phone.

Suddenly, I hear commotion and look up to find Mukhopadhyay - now with the Supreme Court - gesticulating wildly at his staff. The next moment one orderly rushed toward the plaintiff benches and before I knew my mobile was snatched from me. The bar – with most lawyers personally known – looked at me as I sheepishly explained I was only taking notes and not using the “phone” part of the instrument. To no avail. In front of my eyes the phone was dismantled and thrown on one side of the table. It can be a catastrophe for a television journalist to be without phone for any period of time. But before I could further enrage the lordships, and attract contempt, I was hinted at by lawyer friends to just sit down and wait.

After about an hour of proceedings the court rose for lunch break and that’s when I could get my mobile back, of course not before being chided by the court administrator for using “phone” while the court was in order. It was difficult to explain to the jaded justices that the instrument, though primarily a phone, could be used for many other purposes. But then, I let discretion be better part of valour that day.