GUWAHATI: Virtual proceedings in the Delhi High Court were disrupted on Wednesday, April 29, after pornographic videos and music were played three times during a hearing before Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia, prompting a cybercrime investigation.
The first disruption occurred around 12.56 pm when obscene content was played during the video conference, forcing proceedings to halt. When the hearing resumed, a participant logged in under the name “Shitijit Singh” allegedly played pornographic content again, with the material appearing on at least two screens. A message reading “You’ve been hacked” was also reportedly displayed.
In a third disruption, music was played, following which the Chief Justice ordered the virtual hearing to be shut down.
The Delhi High Court administration has lodged a complaint with the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police, which has begun investigating the incident.
Chief Justice Upadhyay directed the Registrar General to initiate action and reiterated that recording court proceedings is prohibited, warning of action against those found recording or circulating footage of the incident.
Preliminary inputs suggested the obscene content may have been streamed through accounts linked to litigants Shridhar Sarnobat and Shitijit Singh. During initial questioning, Singh reportedly claimed his account had been hacked from the United States and denied involvement.
The motive behind the intrusion remains unclear. The incident has renewed scrutiny over cyber-security safeguards in virtual and hybrid court proceedings.