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The act caused proceedings to be stalled for nearly 15–20 minutes, with the accused later pleading guilty and assuring the court that he would not repeat such behaviour
Delhi court sentenced the man to imprisonment till the rising of the court and imposed a fine of ₹2,000 | Image: Representative
A Delhi court has sentenced a man to imprisonment till the rising of the court and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 after he disrupted proceedings by throwing rice on the courtroom floor during a hearing.
The incident took place on August 11 before Additional Sessions Judge Shefali Barnala Tandon, according to officials.
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The court staff and lawyers said the accused, identified as Dr Chander Vibhas, deliberately scattered rice inside the packed courtroom, reported NDTV.
“The courtroom is full and the advocates present have requested the court to get the rice removed or cleaned (which is) spilt all over, and they hesitate to approach the dais for their matters to be taken up after this matter,” the judge noted in her order.
Black Magic Suspected
The judge directed the accused to collect the rice and called for a sweeper.
“Till the time the sweeper comes, the court proceedings have been halted at the request of counsels present since they suspect black magic by the accused. The sweeper has come after 10 minutes and cleaned the floor,” the order said.
The accused’s lawyer, appearing virtually, sought time to appear physically, while Dr Vibhas went down on his knees and apologised in the courtroom.
When proceedings resumed at 2 pm, the judge underlined the seriousness of the act.
“The courtroom is a space where justice is sought and delivered and maintaining its dignity is essential for the rule of law. Disrespect towards the court or disruption of judicial proceedings sends a damaging public message, and such overt acts or behaviour of the accused not only disrupted the proceedings and undermined the judicial process but also threatened the very foundation of our legal system,” she observed.
The court held that the conduct amounted to an offence under Section 267 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with intentional insult or interruption to a public servant during judicial proceedings.
Referring to the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, Judge Tandon added: “This is very shocking and surprising 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 court proceedings.”
The act caused proceedings to be stalled for nearly 15–20 minutes. Vibhas later pleaded guilty and assured the court that he would not repeat such behaviour.
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- Location :
Delhi, India, India
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