Bombay HC fines advocate Rs 25,000 for submitting objectionable photos with plea

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on an advocate for submitting objectionable photographs with a petition seeking to quash a rape case against a man.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and S M Modak in an order observed that "no sense of proportion or discretion" was exercised by the petitioner's advocate while annexing the "highly objectionable" photographs with the plea. The copy of the order dated October 7 was made available on Tuesday.

The bench came across the photographs while hearing the petition filed by the accused man's wife seeking to quash the FIR and charge sheet filed against him in a rape case.

"Advocates fail to realise that these petitions are filed/placed before the Registry and get circulated through various departments, exposing the parties involved in the photographs," the court said.

It further noted that annexing such photographs was an invasion of privacy of the parties and directed the advocate to forthwith remove the same from the petition copy.

"We expect all advocates to exercise some discretion and proportion whilst annexing photographs which are highly objectionable," the court said.

"For the said conduct of the advocate, we direct the advocate to deposit costs of Rs 25,000 with the Kiritikar Law Library within two weeks," the bench directed.