Panaji bench of Bombay HC bars use of mobile phone in court

The Bombay High Court bench here has barred litigants and the general public from carrying cell phones, audio/video recorders or cameras inside courtrooms and said any such violation will be treated as contempt of court.
"All the parties/litigants and public at large are hereby informed that they shall not take mobile phones, cameras or audio/video recording devices and shall not record anything using them inside the court halls," reads the notice issued by the court's Registrar General Mangesh Patil last week.
"These articles should not at all be brought inside the court halls and the person may make his own arrangement for its safe keeping, for which the high court administration does not take any responsibility," the order reads.

"The defaulters will be liable for confiscation of such device and/or fine as may be determined by the court and in addition, will also be liable for an action under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 as well as such other penal action," it says.
Earlier, the high court used to impose a fine on the parties, litigants and public if mobile phone rang when the court proceedings were going on.