सरकारी कर्मचारी पर बॉम्बे हाई कोर्ट में अवैध रिकॉर्डिंग के लिए 10,000 रुपये का जुर्माना

Govt employee caught recording Bombay High Court proceedings, fined Rs 10,000

Bombay High Court judges noticed a person in the last row holding a mobile phone with its flash on during proceedings. The court treated it as suspected unauthorised recording and fined a government official Rs 10,000.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday imposed a Rs. 10,000 fine on a government employee for recording court proceedings without permission, warning that such violations could attract severe legal action, including contempt proceedings.

The action came after the bench detected the unauthorised recording during a hearing and found that the official had attempted to delete the footage after being caught.

A division bench of Justices GS Kulkarni and Dr Neela Gokhale noticed a person seated in the last row of the courtroom on Tuesday, holding a mobile phone with its flash switched on. Suspecting that he was recording the proceedings, the court had him apprehended.

The person was identified as Dilip Wagh, an employee of the Office of the Education Inspector. The bench noted that Wagh had no case listed before it.

After being caught, he attempted to delete the footage from his phone. However, the court’s IT department recovered the recording from the device’s deleted items.

The bench observed that unauthorised recordings of court proceedings can be manipulated and distorted before being circulated on social media.

Referring to Wagh’s conduct, the court remarked that he acted "as if he was sitting in a garden or on the roadside".

The judges said the conduct warranted contempt proceedings but accepted Wagh’s apology subject to conditions. The court stressed that recording proceedings without written permission violates Rules 9.2 and 9.3 of the Rules Governing Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings.

The bench further observed that Wagh, being a government employee, had a "more onerous" responsibility to follow the rules.

It also expressed concern over the growing trend of unauthorised recordings being shared and distorted on social media.

As part of its directions, the court ordered Wagh’s mobile phone to be seized and confiscated. His personal data will be wiped in his presence by the Registrar (Judicial-I) and the IT department before the device is disposed of.

Wagh has been directed to deposit Rs. 10,000 with the Secretary of the High Court Legal Services Authority, Mumbai, within two weeks.

If he fails to pay, the amount will be recovered directly from his salary. The court also warned that any future violation could lead to formal contempt proceedings and other severe legal action.

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