New Delhi, February 15: A Delhi court reprimanded lawyer Mehmood Pracha for improperly using video conferencing facilities during a hearing for a case related to the North East Delhi riots, involving accused Tahir Hussain. The incident occurred at the Karkardooma Court when Pracha appeared for the hearing while walking through an open area and later continued his participation from a moving vehicle.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala expressed strong disapproval, emphasizing that such misuse of video conferencing should be halted immediately. He stated, "This is another glaring misuse of V/C, which has to be stopped."
During the hearing, the court had initially waited for Pracha to join the proceedings via video conferencing. Pracha had requested a 30-minute postponement, but the judge observed in the order issued on February 14 that Pracha’s conduct lacked professionalism. The court noted that after waiting for some time, only Pracha's name appeared without any actual appearance. As a result, the court proceeded with a direction to Advocate Mohd. Hasan, giving one last opportunity for cross-examining the witness Mukesh Tyagi on the next date, subject to costs.
When Pracha finally appeared through video conferencing, he was seen walking in an open area using his mobile phone, and later, his appearance continued while he was in a moving vehicle. The court criticized this behavior, referencing recent remarks made by the Delhi High Court in a case involving Shobha Verma and Ashok Kapoor on January 30, which had addressed similar concerns regarding video conferencing appearances.
The court further clarified that since Advocate Mohd. Hasan had already been informed of the opportunity being granted for the cross-examination, it would not be recalled. Additionally, the court instructed that, on the next date, the defense counsel for accused Anas must appear at the scheduled time without requesting any postponement. Furthermore, Pracha’s appearance should comply with the guidelines set by the Delhi High Court.
In a final order, the court also directed the accused Anas to pay Rs. 2,000 as diet money to the prosecution witness during the next hearing.
